Immortals
by obscurewriter05
Summary: Lucy is blessed with a magic that's unlike any other. Only one person in history has magic that rivals hers - Zeref - only his magic is the opposite. So what is the guild to do when Lucy inadvertently brings her friend back from the dead? Seal her away on Tenrou Island, of course. Only, there's someone else sealed away on the island, too. Will they heal each other's hearts?
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This story is being written for MikuRikaChan who gave me the idea. xoxo, I hope you like it :)**

* * *

Lucy stared at her best friend's lifeless body in dismay. Wendy hovered over him as Lucy held him close, oblivious to the rain that fell around her, plastering her hair to her face.

"There's nothing I can do," Tears filled the blunette's eyes. "He's gone."

Lucy stared at her in disbelief. Natsu. Natsu couldn't die - not yet. They had so many adventures to go on still. Lucy lowered her gaze, staring hard at her first real friend.

"Natsu!" The scream burst forth as her tears mingled with the rain.

Lucy bowed her head over his body, her shoulder shaking from repressed grief.

"You can't be dead," She whispered. "I won't allow it."

"Lucy," Gray put a hand on her shoulder. "There's nothing you can do. He's gone."

Lucy shot him an angry look.

"Lucy. Ow, Luce, that hurts," Natsu's voice drifted up from her arms.

Lucy screamed, dropping her friend in a puddle in surprise. Gray and Wendy stared at the pinkette with wide eyes.

"Hey!" Natsu protested, sitting up only for Lucy to knock him back as she flung her arms around him.

"Wendy," Gray said in a low voice. "I thought you said he was dead."

Wendy nodded, her mouth hanging partially open, "He was, Gray, there was no life force in him at all."

"Then how?"

"Lucy. She glowed for a moment and then Natsu was talking."

Gray looked at his friends in concern.

"I think we need to inform Gramps of this right away," Gray said, his eyes never leaving the two people that were causing so much concern.

Wendy nodded and handed him the communication Lacrima that Mira had given them when they set off, telling them to call if they needed anything, this being their first S- Class Mission. Gray headed into the only tent they'd set up, asking Wendy to let him know if the two start heading his way. She nodded, still watching them in surprise and a little fear.

* * *

"I don't understand," Mira said, crowding around the lacrima with their Master and Gildarts a few minutes later. "Natsu is dead but isn't dead?"

Gray sighed, knowing his explanation made no sense, "I don't understand it myself. Natsu was dead. He wasn't breathing and Wendy insists that he had no pulse at all, not even a weak one. Then Lucy screamed, glowed, and now he's up and about as if nothing had ever happened. It really doesn't make sense to me."

Gildarts and Makarov exchanged worried looks that Gray didn't miss.

"Come back right away. We'll have to do some research on this, but if this is what I think it is, Lucy isn't going to be safe for very long," Their Master informed them, cutting off the connection with a creased brow.

Gray stepped out of the tent and watched his team in concern. What had Lucy done? And why was it a bad thing? Gray only hoped that whatever it was it could be controlled and that Lucy would not be hurt from it.

"How are they?" He asked Wendy, approaching the pair.

"Fine," Wendy answered. "They don't seem to be questioning what just happened. Natsu seems to think that I was just imagining he had no pulse and healed him subconsciously and Lucy seems to agree with that theory."

She turned toward the ice make mage, "Gray, what is really going on? Does the Master know?"

Gray shook his head, "He said he had an idea, but he didn't let me in on it. He wants us back at the guild right away."

Wendy nodded and went to inform the others, leaving Gray to watch Lucy in thoughtful consideration.

 _Lucy, what have you done?_

* * *

They arrived back at the guild in record time and Lucy was surprised to be greeted at the door by Gildarts and their Master. Mavis hovered behind him, eyeing her with obvious concern.

"Lucy, could you come with us, please?" Makarov asked, kindly taking the girl and leading her into a part of the guild that she had never been in before. "We need to ask you some questions."

When they were finally settled into a small room that was out of the way of the main hall Makarov turned and spoke once more.

"Lucy, do you recall what happened with Natsu?"

She nodded, gravely, "He was killed. We were fighting and he was taking down the last guy and when we got to him it was too late. Wendy insists that he had no life force in his body."

"Yet he stands and walks and talks just like he did before?"

She nodded.

"Do you care to explain that?"

Lucy shifted, she really wasn't sure what had happened out there but she hadn't missed the looks that her other two team mates had been giving her since then.

"I don't know," She whispered softly.

Makarov and Mavis exchanged looks that worried Lucy.

"Gildarts?" Makarov asked, turning to toward the Destruction Wizard.

"Right," He answered.

Lucy looked between the three in confusion as he brought in a potted, dead plant, setting it down in front of the girl.

"Heal it," Mavis whispered to her.

"It's dead," Lucy said in annoyance.

"Precisely. Heal it."

She glared at them, "I can't."

"Recall how you felt holding Natsu's lifeless body in your arms. The plant is Natsu."

Lucy closed her eyes, tears leaking from behind her lids as she remembered her best friend lying in her arms, his face slack and void of all emotion. Never again did she want to see that face. Rain pattered around her and suddenly, it was like she was there, pain lacing through her heart, tearing the scream from her throat once more.

When she opened her eyes, the plant was blooming once more while the three strongest people in Fairy Tail looked at her in awe, concern, and a little fear.

"Mavis, you must be right," Makarov whispered.

Mavis nodded, sadly, "We'll have to take her."

"What will we tell the others?"

"You'll think of something."

Lucy looked at them in concern.

"What's wrong?"

"Young lady," Gildarts sat beside her, taking her hands in his own. "You possess an very rare, very powerful type of magic One that could reshape life as we know it. You have the power to create life. It's Life Magic - a lost magic in which the user has no idea they possess it usually until someone close to them dies and the magic explodes from them, bringing that person back. The more you believe they should live the more likely they will. In fact, of all of history there's only ever been one other person like you. Only, his magic was the exact opposite of yours. He created death in his wake."

Lucy looked at him calmly, "Who?"

"Zeref."


	2. Chapter 2

Lucy visibly paled at the name.

"So what happened with Zeref? I thought he died," She asked, trying to seem casual about it.

"He did, sort of," Mavis took over. "He's been sealed on Tenrou Island."

"Then why didn't we see him when we were there?"

" Probably because he was asleep. Normally, he's put to sleep the moment someone steps foot onto the island."

"Is that what's going to happen to me?" Lucy asked, trying to keep calm though panic was evident in her voice.

She didn't want to leave Fairy Tail and her friends. What would she do without them? They had come to be such a huge part of her life that she wasn't sure she could go back to being alone all the time. Well, technically not alone, she supposed, after all Zeref would be there.

 _Zeref._ The darkest wizard of all time. The masters exchanged uncomfortable looks, which Lucy took to be a 'yes' that they didn't want to say out loud.

She sighed heavily, "Can I at least say goodbye to my friends?"

The masters blinked in surprise. They had expected her to put up more of a fight than she had.

"Of course," Mavis answered, willing to let the girl do pretty much anything if she wouldn't fight with them about going.

Lucy flashed them a relieved smile before hurrying out of the room to do exactly as she asked.

Mavis sighed as soon as the young blonde was out of their sight.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" She asked softly. "Natsu will go to the end of the Earth trying to find her, you know."

Makarov nodded, "Sadly, this is true. Eventually he'll have to accept that she's gone."

Mavis and Gildarts exchanged looks that said they didn't think he would ever accept it after she left.

"Do you think Zeref will harm her?" Makarov asked after a moment.

Mavis paused, thinking about it before answering. "Not on purpose. But if his magic goes haywire it might happen."

"Well, it seems our little Lucy has the perfect defense for that," Gildarts chuckled.

The trio nodded, hoping it would be enough. They really didn't need the long dead wandering around Fiore and if Lucy's magic operated like Zeref's did that was a distinct possibility.

* * *

Lucy, in fact, had decided not to say goodbye to everyone. It would be hard to say goodbye and harder to explain just why she was leaving all of them. Instead she headed straight for her apartment, packing the few things that she felt she needed to take with her. When she was done she was surprised at how much stuff still laid about the room. It looked as if she was packing for a job instead of moving away.

She sat at her desk and scribbled goodbye letters to each of her friends, stuffing them in envelopes with their names on them before scattering them throughout her apartment. Natsu's she laid on her bed, knowing that was where he would end up, Erza's on the table by the cake, Gray's on her desk. Wendy and Levy's letters she laid next to Erza's, knowing the red head would be sure that the letters got to the right people.

Taking one final look around she laid her key to the apartment on Natsu's letter before slipping out, hoping that she would be long gone before they found the letters.

The sun was just starting to sink below the horizon when Lucy walked into Fairy Tail for the last time. Mira was cleaning up the bar and looked up at Lucy with sad eyes. Apparently she had been told what was happening, but she remained silent until the last of the guild filtered out.

"They're waiting in the Master's office," Mira nodded toward the door.

Before Lucy could take two steps toward the office Mira had hurried around the bar and flung her arms around the blonde, crying softly.

"We'll miss you, Lucy," She whispered.

Lucy hugged her back, forcing herself to keep her own tears at bay.

"I will miss all of you as well," She replied before hurrying up the steps to Makarov's office, hastily brushing the tears from her eyes before she entered.

"Lucy," The guild master looked at her sadly. "I'm sorry you have to leave us, my child, but all paths must diverge at some point."

Lucy nodded, "Are we going now?"

"First, we have to take your mark," Mavis said, tears in her eyes.

Lucy looked between the two in panic, "Please, no."

"If you keep it, you'll remember everything," Mavis said softly. "It's up to you, but it makes for a long and lonesome time if you remember everything about yourself and who you were before you came to the island."

Lucy held her hand close to her, "I don't care. I don't want to forget one single moment of this place."

Mavis and Makarov smiled sadly at her.

"Of all of my children, you are one of the few that is Fairy Tail through and through," Makarov said, standing on his desk so he could kiss her forehead.

He nodded to Mavis, and the next thing Lucy knew she was flying through the air, being transported to a place in which she would never see her friends again.

* * *

Back at the guild Lucy's team had found their letters and were trying to demand answers from their master, who sighed, looking at them sadly.

"Lucy had to go away, children. She agreed to it and left willingly. If she told you no more than I cannot tell you either. It is her secret to tell and perhaps one day you will know it, but for now just know that she quite safe and misses all of you dearly."

Levy held her letter close to her heart, being the only one who knew the full extent of what had happened. After the others left she quietly approached the man who had been like a father to her for years.

"Master, will Lucy be alright being all alone out there?"

Makarov looked up in surprise. He'd expected that Lucy would tell someone the full truth, but he had expected her to tell Natsu or Gray, not the quiet blunette that stood before him now. However, Levy was one of Lucy's closest friends and her smartest. Maybe Lucy had more sense than anyone had ever given her credit for.

"I don't know, my child," He said stroking his mustache. "I really don't know."


	3. Chapter 3

Lucy awoke in a cave that seemed vaguely familiar until she remembered where she was. She softly caressed Mavis's headstone before wandering the island. This was going to be her domain for the foreseeable future, so she figured she'd better get used to it. Mavis had given her directions to a cave close to the headstone that Lucy could use to make herself a home and that was the first place the blonde went, setting it up so that at least it seemed homey. She unpacked her few belongings and set up a picture of Natsu, Gray, herself, and Erza. It was the only photo she'd packed and for a moment she felt a pang of guilt for not having one of Levy or anyone else in the guild.

Lucy silently scolded herself. They would be gone before she forgot about any of them. She should have left the picture at her apartment, but she couldn't bare the thought of having nothing to remember her family by. She smiled softly at the photo before setting it by the place she'd made her bed. Turning from the scene she decided that it was time to learn the island inside out so that she would never be lost.

"Right," She said to herself. "Well, no use just moping about here. For all I know I could be here the next hundred years. Might as well reacquaint myself with this place."

She sighed as she walked, wishing that she had someone there to talk to.

 _Might as well get used to. I'm going to be alone for a very long time._

Then she shivered, remembering that Zeref was also somewhere on this island.

 _I hope I don't run into him._

She couldn't help but wonder what the evilest mage in history was like, though. Her instincts screamed at her not to get close to him, not to try to find him, but her writer's curiosity was dying to know more about him. She wondered if he was really as evil as everyone said or if he'd become evil due to his magic. She could imagine how it would be easy to slip down that path when you had magic that could kill someone without even your conscious thought.

She shivered as she recalled how easy it had been to raise Natsu from death. It's not something that she would want to do again, even if it had been easier than summoning her spirits. She stopped as she realized she'd been wandering without paying attention. Turning she wondered if she could remember how to get back to her cave. As far as she could remember she'd been wandering on this path.

Nodding to herself she turned back around, so long as she stayed on the path she should be able to make her way back to the cave without an issue. She continued on until she reached a lake. She smiled as she sat beside it.

"I'd forgotten how large this island was," She whispered.

She fingered the one of the two key that she had brought with her. She had dissolved contracts with all of her spirits except two. Plue, because his key was so common that she hadn't felt any guilt about keeping him with her, and Loke, who had steadfastly refused to even consider allowing her to dissolve it. The others had protested, Aquarius had thrown a fit.

 _"I've put all this time and energy into training you and now you're going to leave me. I'm going to have to start all over again!"_

Lucy smiled at the memory, knowing it was the mermaid's way of saying that she would miss Lucy. The others had all had their say as well, some even cried, but in the end they had all agreed. All but Loke. He refused to come for a long time and Lucy was sure it was because word had gotten around that she was dissolving the contracts. When he finally did show up he refused to allow her to terminate it, reminding her that he had made his own contract with the Celestial Spirit King that he would always be with her.

She'd finally relented when he told her that until she actually died he was bound to her or else he would die himself. No matter what may come she couldn't just let him die, so she attached the two keys to her waist, leaving the others on her desk. Gray would make sure that they got to the girl she was leaving them for.

Loke materialized and sat beside her.

"Pretty lonely, huh?" He asked.

She nodded, "It's strange not having anyone around, almost like being back at the mansion."

He nodded, "How are you holding up?"

She shrugged, "I'm okay right now. It's a nice break for the moment. It's later that I'm worried about. What's it going to be like not having Natsu curled up next to me tonight? To wake up and not hear him and Gray arguing? Or to hear Erza complaining that I don't have enough cake?"

Loke hugged her close as she started crying.

"I'm all alone out here, Loke. No wonder why Mavis enjoys sticking around the guild hall so much."

The spirit gave her a sympathetic look.

"I'll come out to see you as much as I can," He said quietly. "I'm still under contract with you, so feel free to summon me whenever you need to."

He looked around the island frowning, "Other than a few monsters here and there, you shouldn't really need me to do much fighting, so I think I'll be okay just spending time with you when you need me to."

Lucy wrapped her arms around him, hugging him close.

"I'm so glad you stayed with me," She whispered.

He grinned, pushing his glasses up before hugging her back, "Where else would I go?"

She smiled up at him, completely unaware of the dark figure at the other side of the lake, watching them sadly.

"I hope you don't die, too, Lucy," The figure whispered, softly before turning and hurrying in the other direction.


	4. Chapter 4

Makarov watched his guild sit in sad silence. Since Lucy had left things had become too quiet around the place. Not even Natsu and Gray fought, sitting together in a silence that spoke volumes about how much they missed their blonde friend. He sighed, wishing he could bring her back, but knowing that unless she learned how to control her newly discovered magic that it would be impossible. He frowned as he continued watching. Even those that rarely spoke to Lucy seemed quieter and more subdue and he couldn't help but wonder if his guild would be this quiet from now on. He surprised himself by hoping that things would return to normal eventually.

"Fairy Tail sits too quietly," Mavis whispered, appearing before him.

He nodded, sadly, "Without Lucy the guild is very subdue."

She turned and looked at him with saddened eyes, "Yes, but she is safer there where she can learn to control her powers without coming to harm from those that would view her magic as evil or tainted rather than the gift it is."

Makarov was torn between agreeing and wishing that the light of his guild could come back and bring her light with her. He watched as Natsu stood, punched the table, and headed out with Gray and Erza following soon after.

 _What are those youngsters up to_? He wondered.

* * *

"We have to find Lucy," Natsu snarled as soon as he was out the guild doors. He didn't understand how the Masters could let her go like they had, but he was too angry with them to ask.

"Maybe it's better if Lucy is away from us," Gray argued, but his defeated tone gave away the fact that he too missed the blonde.

"How can you say that?" Natsu demanded. "Lucy is our nakama, our _family_. Without her we're not whole and without us, she's not whole either. She needs us."

Erza nodded her agreement at Natsu's words.

"Yes, we need Lucy," The red-head stated simply.

Gray looked between the two in exasperation.

"What Lucy did - no other person, even Wendy, could do. And she doesn't even know _how_ she did it. She would be in danger if she stayed here," Gray pointed out. "People would turn against her once word got out that she has that kind of magic. Not only that, but don't you think people who missed their loved ones would demand that she bring them back. She would be pressed on all sides with people who wanted her bring others back and people who thought her magic was unnatural and she should be executed or something. She's safer wherever she is."

Natsu clenched his fist, but not even he could argue with that. Lucy was the most important person in his life, but Gray was right, if she came back and people learned what she could do she would be hunted by one party or the other. He sighed, deflating a little, then brightened.

"Well, then we will just have to learn where she is and go to her," He replied, the first smile since Lucy had left appearing on his face.

Erza nodded her agreement and Gray sighed, knowing those two would never see reason in any argument he gave them against that.

"I will ask the Master and see if I can get answers," Erza decided. "Gray, you talk to Levy and see if she knows something. Natsu, you knew Lucy best, go to her place and see if you can find any clues as to where she went. We have to be with her."

Natsu nodded eagerly, heading to Lucy's place, which he had decided to keep up the rent on for when Lucy returned. She would want her old place back after all, and so long as they kept the rent up the landlady didn't mind keeping the apartment open for her.

Gray sighed and headed back into the guild, wondering if the bluenette could really know anything about their best friend's disappearance.

* * *

Lucy sat alone in what had become her favorite spot on the island, right by the lake. She had sent Loke home, seeing that he really needed rest, and had come down here to think. She was starting to get used to the quiet, though she missed her friends dearly. She was so used to the quiet, in fact, that she literally jumped when she heard a twig snap behind her.

Whirling she came face to face with a person. Her mouth gaped for a moment, surprised that someone was on the island with her, then she remembered what Mavis had told her about Zeref being locked away on this island and her mouth snapped shut, turning into a grin as she stood.

"You must be Zeref, I'm Lucy," She said with a wave.

The dark-haired man looked at her with sad eyes for a moment.

"Yes, I know," He replied. "And yes, I'm Zeref."

Lucy's grinned widened, Zeref didn't look like an ancient evil mage. He looked more like a boy of her age, lost and lonely. She decided that she rather liked this boy, despite what history said about him.

"Well, I'm here to be your friend," She announced, her head tilting to one side.

* * *

Zeref blinked in surprise, hearing the last thing he'd ever expected anyone to say to him.

"My friend?" He questioned, his head tilting in a mirror image of hers.

She nodded eagerly, wrapping an arm around his.

"Come, sit, and tell me about yourself," She demanded, pulling him toward the lake.

Zeref was so surprised that she touched him without dying that he didn't even realize that he'd followed the blonde until he was sitting beside her, his head resting on her shoulder. She smiled softly down at him and for the first time in a very long time, Zeref smiled back.

 _Mavis told me she was the Light of Fairies. Now I understand why. Lucy, I hope you stay_.

* * *

 **AN: I've had a few requests to see how the guild reacts to Lucy being gone, so I'm going to try to incorporate their side as well. We'll see how it goes.**


	5. Chapter 5

Lucy felt guilty as she got to know Zeref over the weeks and learned to like the dark wizard. His kindness rivaled that of the Strauss siblings and she couldn't understand how he had become the most feared dark mage in history. She giggled as he stared dumbfound at her cave.

"I never thought of living in one of the caves," He confessed as he looked around.

They'd been talking for two weeks now and Lucy had finally invited him to see her place as it started raining outside. He'd had little choice but to accept as the rain quickly turned into a downpour.

Lucy turned in surprise as she toweled her hair with the only towel she'd brought.

"Really? Where do you sleep?"

"Mostly wherever I am when I'm tired."

"What about when it rains?"

Zeref shrugged, "Under the trees."

Lucy shook her head, laughing, "You're just like -"

She cut herself off, her face falling, "Well, never mind that. You're going to stay here with me for now on, got it?"

Zeref grinned at her, nodding.

The two sat in silence for a couple of minutes as Zeref continued to explore her little home, stopping in front of the only picture she had in the place.

"This is you, and this is Natsu, but who are these two?" He asked, bringing the photo over to her.

"You know Natsu?" She asked in surprise.

* * *

Zeref's face fell. He had forgotten that she hadn't been around when he'd almost killed the dragon slayer. He still wasn't sure how the boy had survived, but a huge part of him was thankful that he had.

"Sort of," Zeref muttered awkwardly, looking down in embarrassment.

Lucy pursed her lips, but didn't press the subject.

"We'll the guy without his shirt is Gray," Lucy said, pointing at the photo. "And yes, he's usually without his shirt. He just has this habit of taking it off whenever he feels like it. Cana's always after -"

Lucy cut herself off again and Zeref didn't miss the way her eyes filled with tears for a moment before she cleared her throat. He wished that she would open up to him more. She was willing to talk about pretty much anything, but immediately would close herself off when she started to talk about Fairy Tail. He wondered if the wound was too deep still for her to discuss as he wrapped an arm around her, silently comforting the pretty blonde.

"Anyways, the red-head is Erza," Lucy continued after a moment. "She seems scary but she's actually really nice."

"And the blue thing?"

Lucy giggled, "That's Happy. He's an exceed."

Seeing his look of confusion she explained, "An exceed is pretty much a talking cat with wings."

"Oh," Zeref stared intently at the picture for awhile before handing it back to her. "They seem like friendly people."

Lucy nodded, "Everyone in Fairy Tail is very friendly."

Zeref smiled, "Well, maybe one day you can tell me about them."

Lucy smiled a real smile for the first time since he'd brought out the picture.

"I'd like that," She replied, laying her head on his shoulder.

* * *

Back at the guild the three people and one exceed that were being discussed sat around the table in a gloomy silence. Things had slowly started to return to normal, as was the way of the guild, but this group couldn't seem to get over their missing friend.

"Master refused to tell me anything more," Erza sighed in frustration, slamming her fist on the table.

"Yeah, and I think Levy knows something, but she said she couldn't tell me anything if Lucy hadn't told us," Gray said, annoyed at the blunette.

Natsu shrugged, "There wasn't much missing at her apartment, so wherever she went she fully expected that a lot would be provided for her or that she wouldn't be needing it. Obviously she felt she didn't need her keys - the only ones missing from the set we gave Yukino were Plue's key and Loke's. The only spirits that will answer when Yukino calls are Virgo and Aries. They told her that unless Loke says it's okay they can't tell her anything."

They fell silent once more as they thought about what Natsu had said. Obviously the spirits missed their former mistress a lot and knew something about her disappearance, but had been ordered not to say anything. Was it Loke's doing or Lucy's?

"You're still determined to find her, aren't you?" Mira asked as she set a mug in front of Natsu.

They nodded in sync.

"Maybe, I can help," She winked at them. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Can't let them think I'm telling you anything that could lead you to finding her or else we won't be able to speak."

When Mira returned she was carrying a tray of fish, which she set in front of Happy.

"Enjoy Happy," She winked before setting a note down in front of Erza and walking away.

The two boys looked at Erza expectantly as she pocketed the letter and stared back at them, wordlessly.

"Erza, we gotta know what it says," Gray said after a moment.

"Meet me at Lucy's place in fifteen minutes," She said, standing and walking out of the guild.

Fifteen minutes later the group was piled on Lucy's bed as Erza carefully opened the note Mira had handed her and read it out loud.

 _I'm not supposed to say anything, but I know where Lucy is. Master and Mavis think it's better for her to be on her own until she learns to control her powers, but how will she learn all by herself? Isn't that what Fairy Tail is? A place where you can be yourself truly?_

 _Lucy has Life Magic - I'm sure you all have figured that out by now, but I want you to be careful because she's not really alone where she is. Someone more powerful than anyone in the country is there and he possesses Death Magic, the opposite of Lucy._

 _Natsu, you met him, I'm sure of it. Elfman described him to me and I'm sure it was him. I can't give you a name, but Lucy may be in danger, it's the only reason I'm telling you think. I'm worried about her._

 _If you haven't gathered it yet, the Masters sealed Lucy in Tenrou Island. I'm not sure if you three will be able to get in, but someone has to try to save her. Let me know if you need help, okay?_

Erza handed the paper to Natsu, who immediately burnt it to ash.

"Tenrou Island, huh?" Natsu asked.

"Pack your gear, something tells me that Lucy is going to need us," Erza answered, staring at the door angrily.


	6. Chapter 6

Lucy watched Zeref as he slept soundly beside her, his arm wrapped protectively around her. She smiled softly, remembering another young man who used to sleep just the same way. She was surprised at how much the dark haired man next to her was like her pink-haired best friend. She couldn't reconcile the boy in front of her with the image that history had painted of him. This was not an evil mage, just a scared and lonely young man who needed a friend. She shifted slightly and felt his arm tighten around her, as if he was afraid she would disappear as he slept.

Thinking about it, he probably was afraid of that. After all he had been alone on the island for four hundred years, so he probably thought she was just a figment of his imagination while he slept. She sighed and settled into his arms, trying to still her racing heart. Though they had known each other for only a couple of months, Lucy could feel herself starting to care for this strange mage. She smiled once more as she drifted back to sleep.

* * *

Zeref awoke to the feel of a soft body against his own and immediately his fears that Lucy wasn't real were alleviated. Slowly he opened one eye, smiling brightly as a mass of blonde hair greeted him. Even though it had been two months since he started living with Lucy, the sight of that golden hair never failed to lift his heart each morning.

He had been surprised when she had insisted he stay with her and even more so when she'd asked him to sleep in the same bed as her. At first he thought the girl was trying to seduce him, but it quickly became evident that she was just used to having someone sleep beside her at night. She moaned in her sleep, something he was used to.

"Natsu, it's too hot," She whimpered, shoving away from him.

Zeref froze. _Natsu?_ Natsu's the one that's been climbing into her bed at night? Images of the two of them together flashed through his mind and he stood quickly, pushing them aside so that his jealousy wouldn't consume him and cause him to do something that he would later regret.

He hurried out of the cave and away from the blonde celestial mage. He had to get away before the magic exploded out of him and harmed the only living being he cared about.

* * *

Lucy awoke to find Zeref gone, which was unlike him. Normally he woke before her and would sit at the foot of the bed in silence. Sometimes he would be meditating, but usually he was playing with Plue or studying her keys intently, waiting for her to summon the dog spirit. Today he was just gone.

Hurrying outside, she noticed the way the flowers and grass seemed to wither. Healing the trail of decay as she followed it, she found Zeref sitting in the spot where they first met, his eyes fixed upon the lake. He didn't look at her as he spoke.

"I'm sorry," He whispered.

"For what?" She asked, gently, sitting down beside him.

"That," He gestured, turning to see the destruction he'd caused only to find that everything was exactly how it was before he walked by.

His eyes widened in surprise as he turned back to her.

"I don't understand."

Lucy shrugged, her heart clenching as she was reminded once more as to why she had been sealed away with this man.

"It's simple really," She replied. "I was sealed away here just like you."

Zeref was surprised by that. Lucy was the gentlest and kindest girl he'd ever met, including Mavis, so he didn't understand why she would be sealed away with him.

"Why?" He asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.

Lucy sighed, "Long story short, I have recently come into possession of a very powerful type of magic that I cannot fully control. My Masters thought it would be best if I were to stay here at least until I learn to control it. The problem is, with nothing and no one to practice on, I will never learn to control it."

Zeref nodded, knowingly, "My magic is the same way."

Lucy grinned at him, "I know. In fact, my magic does the exact opposite of yours."

* * *

Zeref's heart lifted at those words. Now he understood why she could get close to him without dying, she could regenerate faster than his magic could kill her. That was why, even though he could sense his magic exploding around him at times, everything remained in a healthy state of life. She must be subconsciously using her magic to keep the island alive.

He surprised both of them when his lips touched hers. He hadn't meant to kiss her, he had just been so excited to know that she was safe around him. Then she surprised them both by kissing him back, before quickly pulling away, blushing furiously.

* * *

Natsu stood at the head of the ship, his eyes straining to see Tenrou Island when he wasn't busy throwing up over the side. Erza stood beside him as Gray, Wendy, and Levy lounged in chairs on the deck. The Solid Script Mage looking decidedly nervous about the whole thing.

"Look, we're not going to get to the island any faster with you two standing there, straining to see it," Gray said in annoyance. "You might as well sit and -"

"That's it," Natsu interrupted, excitedly. "I see it."

Erza nodded a few minutes later, "Yes. We're almost there. I can't wait to see Lucy again."

Even Levy could agree to that statement.

* * *

Zeref was the first to sense something was wrong and Lucy stiffened a few moments later before the two exchanged concerned looks.

"Someone's here," Zeref said, his eyes narrowing to slits.

Lucy nodded her agreement, "Everything's gone still."

"You take the northern half, I'll take the southern half. Meet me at Hollow Cave in an hour," Zeref instructed as they both ran down the path that lead to the ocean.

Lucy nodded in agreement before splitting up with him, running the length of her stretch of coast. The island was small enough that an hour should be plenty of time to run from one half to the other unless you met up with some serious baddies along the way. They were both confident that whatever or whoever showed up would be either a member of Fairy Tail, and therefore welcome, or someone whom they could easily take care of.

So it was only slightly surprising when Lucy skidded to a halt upon seeing her closest friends disembarking from the ship. She waited until they were all safely off before finally speaking.

"Wh - what are you guys doing here?" She asked, tentatively.

They whirled in unison, running toward her.

"Lucy!"

"Luce!"

"Lulu!"

She would have fallen backwards at their weight if they all hadn't been hugging her to them, tears streaming from every face she looked at. She laughed quietly, before slowly disentangling herself to give each one a proper hug, lingering on Natsu's hug longer the rest.

"I've missed you guys," She laughed.

"We've missed you, too," Erza announced, pressing Lucy's head against her breastplate in happiness.

Lucy chuckled, "Same old Erza, I see."

They nodded, then a fell into an awkward silence before Natsu broke it.

"So what have you been doing around here? It seems like it'd be pretty boring when you're not beating up monsters," He blurted.

Lucy shook her head, "Actually, I don't really see a lot of monsters. Occasionally I'll see something that seems monster like, but so long as I stay away from it's territory it doesn't bother me too much. I've been spending most of my time with -"

Lucy cut herself realizing that they wouldn't understand if she told them that she spent all of her time with the darkest wizard in history.

"Lucy," Zeref's voice called from her left and they turned as a group to see the mage running toward her with worry in his eyes.

"You!" Natsu yelled, stepping in front of Lucy. "You're the bastard that tried to kill me!"

Before anyone could say a word Natsu swung his fist, fire lighting up around it as it connected squarely with Zeref's face.

* * *

 **AN: Don't hate me for the ending! It's plot, okay? I promise everything will be fixed in the next chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7

Lucy pushed her way to the front as all of her old teammates had immediately set up a barrier between Zeref and herself.

"Let me through," She demanded. "Natsu, you idiot, what are you doing? You can't just go around punching my friends."

She grabbed onto his arm as he went in for a follow up swing, shooting him a glare that even Erza cringed at the sight of.

"This guy tried to kill me though," Natsu protested as he reluctantly lowered his arm, pouting at Lucy.

Lucy whirled on Zeref, "Is it true?"

Zeref looked away, "Well, technically, I guess, but I didn't actively try to. It just sort of exploded, you know, how it does."

Lucy sighed, "Go home, okay? I'll talk to these guys and meet you back there."

The group watched in surprise as he turned and slumped his way back down the path dejectedly. Lucy shook her head in amusement before turning back to her friends, placing her hands on her hips.

"Now, do you mind telling me why all of you are here?" She demanded.

"Lucy, do you even know who that guy is?" Gray demanded in return. "We came here when we found out where the Masters had sealed you away to save you from him. He's Zeref."

Lucy rolled her eyes, "One, I don't need saving, okay? See, look I'm fine. Two, I know who he is. We've been living on the same island for awhile now. Did you think I wouldn't happen to bump into the only other living person on the island?"

They all exchanged guilty looks before Levy spoke up.

"But history says Zeref is -"

Lucy glared at them, "I know what _history_ says. I also know who it is that curls up beside me every night, and no matter what the books say, that's not the man I know, okay? So if you're going to stay here with us then there's going to be ground rules. First," She pointed at Natsu. "No fighting with him, got it? His magic is like mine and he can't always control it. I don't want any of you dying because you were stupid enough to pick a fight with him. Second, give him a chance."

They all blinked in surprise. Lucy was sharing a bed with Zeref? They couldn't believe it, so they immediately discarded it, turning over the second part, her rules. Just the two rules? Lucy usually had more rules than that. In unison they nodded, and Lucy's face split into that brilliant smile that she was famous for.

"Alright then, lets go to my home," She announced, leading them toward the cave.

"So you and Zeref, huh?" Levy teased softly, running to catch up with her friend.

Lucy blushed, "It's not like that."

"But you want it to be."

Her blush deepened as they neared the cave, "Shut up, Levy."

* * *

Zeref watched as Lucy led her group of friends toward him, wondering if they were here on peaceful terms. For her sake - and theirs - he hoped so. Two he recognized from the picture as Gray and Erza, and of course, he recognized Natsu. The two blunettes that were with them, though, he had no clue about. Lucy had never mentioned them before, and he felt a little ill at ease, not knowing who these two were or what their relationship was to Lucy.

He needn't have worried though. The older of the two blunettes immediately sat beside him upon entering the cave, grinning up at him.

"Hi, I'm Levy. Lulu-chan's best friend," She announced before hugging him.

The whole group froze as they watched Levy hugged the death mage. Zeref blinked in surprise before hugging her back. For a brief moment he felt her life force start to drain out of her and he almost panicked until he realized it was replenishing as fast as he was draining it and he looked up to see Lucy watching it all with a small smile. One finger moved to her lips as she winked at the dark-haired mage and he broke into a bright smile that startled the others.

As if the hug had broken some kind of barrier the rest piled around him, chattering away at him. He learned that the smaller blunette was Wendy, the resident healer and Sky Dragon Slayer. Then it was Natsu's turn and he was surprised when the pinkette poked his cheek, his brow furrowing for a moment before he grinned.

"You should smile more often," Natsu announced. "You look much less depressing when you do."

Lucy and Zeref exchanged exasperated looks at his comment before Erza announced her agreement.

"I'm Erza, by the way," She said, sitting down on the other side of the death mage as Natsu went back to sit by Lucy, one arm wrapping around her shoulder.

Zeref nodded, fighting back a pang of jealousy at seeing the Fire Dragon Slayer so friendly with Lucy.

"Yes, you are Erza and the guy who seems to have lost his shirt is Gray," Zeref said in amusement.

He laughed as Gray looked down and shrieked as he noticed that, once again, he was in his boxers. Lucy certainly painted a pretty good picture of him, from what little she'd told.

'Wait, I know how you know who I am," Natsu interrupted. "But how do you know Erza and Gray?"

Zeref pointed to the picture that sat beside the bed, "Lucy told me."

Natsu hurried over and picked up the photo that the four of them had taken so long ago. He smiled at the memory, passing it to Erza who studied it with a small smile as Gray peered over her shoulder, grinning. Lucy's answering smile made Zeref's heart leap. These were her friends, her comrades, and she seemed so happy with them around. Happier than he'd ever seen her.

* * *

Lucy watched the three of them as they studied the picture, her heart in her throat as she worried about what their reactions might be.

"You kept this?" Erza demanded, handing it to her.

Lucy nodded, a small smile on her face. "It sat beside my bed at home and I couldn't bare the thought of not having it sit by my bed here."

She was surprised when three tackled her, hugging her tightly. Even more surprising were the hot tears she felt falling on her. She pulled away, studying the three in surprise.

"You've really missed me, haven't you?"

Even Levy and Wendy, from their seats next to Zeref, nodded in agreement.

"You gotta come home, Luce. Everyone there is so quiet without you. Even the Thunder Legion and the old guys seem more down now that you're gone," Natsu explained.

Lucy shook her head, disappointing them, "I can't leave, Mavis sealed me to the island. Even if I could, I wouldn't leave Zeref here by himself. I know what it's like to be all alone and I couldn't do that to anyone, especially not someone that I cared about."


	8. Chapter 8

Zeref's jaw almost dropped when he heard Lucy say that she cared about him. Never before would he have expected anyone to care about him, especially Lucy. He definitely didnt' expect her to care enough to stay alone with him on an island until the end of time, not when she had friends here who were offering to take her home, risking the wrath of the Masters of their guild.

 _Mavis, after all this time, I think I finally found someone who means more to me than anything else in this world ever has. I think I finally found love._

Lucy grinned at him as she turned back to her friends, leaving him to sort through the confusing thoughts that whirled around inside his head even as Natsu glared at him from his seat beside Lucy. Zeref knew, perhaps better than even the pinkette, that Nastu cared deeply for Lucy. He watched the two in silence, settling his own feelings as he watched the two interact. Lucy seemed to care for Natsu as well, but Zeref wondered if she cared in the same way as the dragon slayer did.

He hadn't seen her this happy and his heart squeezed at the thought that she could be happier if she went back with them. He would be alone again, that was true, but he was used to it and didn't mind so much if she would be happier with them. The thought of that smile never crossing her lips again made him hang his head in sorrow. Even if he couldn't see it, at least he would know it was there.

* * *

Lucy chatted with her friends while watching Zeref carefully. He seemed conflicted about something and she desperately wanted to know what it was. She hoped that her friends weren't bothering him. She would send them away if they were, but something told her that wasn't what he was struggling with. Managing to break away from the group she crawled over to him, studying his face with the same intense gaze that she had once bestowed upon Gray when he'd hurt himself on Galuna Island all those years ago.

"What are you thinking so hard about?" She teased after a moment, deciding it was okay to speak.

He looked up at her in surprise, "I was just wondering about you and Natsu."

She looked at him in confusion, her head tilting to one side, "What about us?"

"Do you love him?" Zeref asked softly.

Lucy could almost feel the room still behind her, knowing that Natsu and Wendy would have heard the question, even if no one else could have. She blushed and looked down at her hands as she sat down properly.

"Can we discuss this later?" She whispered, trying hard not to look back at her friends, where she could feel Natsu's gaze on her back.

He nodded, though she could see the slight clench in his jaw, "Sure."

She smiled, "When they go to bed, we'll talk, okay?"

He nodded once more and Lucy crawled back over to her friends, sitting between Erza and Levy, chatting once more about the guild.

* * *

Zeref didn't miss the glance that Natsu shot him, nor did he miss the way that Wendy kept glancing at Lucy every few minutes with a thoughtful expression on her face. Though she was the youngest of the group, Zeref was sure the petite blunette was wiser than her years. Natsu walked over to him a few minutes later, sitting beside the dark-haired man.

"You must realize that I heard what you asked her."

Zeref nodded once, looking directly at Natsu, "I do."

"Then you had to know that I'm just as curious about the answer as you are. Why would ask her such a thing, knowing I could hear every word?"

"Because I want to know the answer and because you deserve to know her answer one way or the other. I have to know, Natsu," Zeref looked at the man with desperation in his eyes.

Natsu inhaled sharply, he knew that look. He had, in fact, seen it in the mirror almost every day that Lucy was gone. He'd never imagined that anyone else could care about the celestial mage as much as he did, but now the evidence was laid before him and he couldn't refute it. Zeref was just as much in love with Lucy as he was.

"I understand," He whispered.

"If she choses you, I'll do my best to make her go with you," Zeref said softly. "I couldn't stand the idea of her being unhappy."

"But you'll be alone again," Natsu protested, knowing how much being without Lucy hurt once you fell for her sweet charm. "I can't let that happen."

Zeref shook his head, "I'm okay with that. I've been alone for this long, I'll get used to it again."

Natsu shook his head, "But what if she choses _you?_ There's nothing I can do to help you."

He shrugged, "Don't worry so much."

* * *

It was only a few hours later when Erza announced that they would sleep in a cave about twenty feet away from where the two were living.

"We'll be back in the morning," She said, eyeing the two of them. "We still have to figure out what we're going to do about Lucy."

She walked out, dragging the rest of the group with her as Zeref and Lucy watched on in amusement.

"Why did you ask me about Natsu?" Lucy asked, stretching before changing into her pjs, sliding behind the makeshift screen they'd made.

Zeref shrugged, then, realizing that she couldn't see him, "I was just curious. He seems to care deeply for you."

Lucy blushed as she stepped out in a white t-shirt and a pair of pink boxer shorts.

"To answer you're question, no, I don't love Natsu. At least, not in that way," She blushed as she looked down at her hands. "I love someone else."

Zeref looked away, nodding as they settled in, "Then you should go back with them. You need to tell this person how you feel and you should. You should be happy."

Lucy snuggled into him, "But if I go back with them then he'll never know."

* * *

Zeref's heart started racing as he considered her words. Everything she was saying was pointing in one direction, a direction that he had hoped for but hadn't dreamed could be true.

"Who is it?" He whispered, breathlessly.

Lucy giggled before turning to face him, "I love _you_ , Zeref."

* * *

 **AN: 3 *Dances around with stars in her eyes * Oh they are going to have to the cutest children! I don't care if it's not possible either! It's still going to be beautiful! Now they question is - how will he react now that Lucy's dropped the Love Bomb? ;)**


	9. Chapter 9

Zeref's heart was racing as Lucy confessed her feelings to him. He'd never thought he'd hear those words, especially not from the busty blonde that was lying beside him. Despite what Natsu had asked, he'd been sure that she couldn't feel for him in that way. Now, lying beside her, all he could do was stare at her as he tried to process what she'd just told him.

Lucy fidgeted next to him, causing him to break out of his trance.

"Please, say something," She whispered, her heart racing as well.

He grinned at her, "I love you, too, Lucy."

She grinned back before kissing him gently.

"I'm glad."

* * *

Lucy had almost started freaking out. Confessing her feelings for the dark mage had not been easy and, when he hadn't said anything for a long moment, she began to worry that she'd made a mistake in telling him her feelings. Levy had been the one to talk her into telling him after all, and she couldn't be sure that the blunette's advice was completely sound.

Zeref kissed her back, deepening the kiss until the two of them were practically making out on their bed. In a move that would have seemed practiced if he hadn't been alone on an island for four hundred years, Zeref rolled and pinned her underneath him as he ravished her mouth. Finally they pulled away, both of them gasping for air, only for Lucy to find him leaving little kisses on her neck and collarbone.

She moaned softly, but pulled him back up to her, kissing him deeply once more.

"Not yet," She whispered. "I don't think we're ready for that yet."

Zeref nodded, completely understanding what she meant.

"Of course," He whispered, kissing her nose. "But I still get to snuggle you, right?"

She grinned brightly, "You'd better. Without you I'm too cold and lonely."

* * *

He chuckled, rolling off her so he could wrap an arm around her waist, pulling her close to him. He felt at peace, snuggling with the woman that he loved so dearly. Lucy, he'd discovered, had a way of opening up your heart in ways that you'd never believe it could be opened. He wanted nothing more than to love and protect the gentle soul in his arms.

He was surprised at the depth of his feelings for a girl that he hadn't even known three months ago. If it were anyone else he might have been worried that they'd used a charm on him, but he didn't believe that the innocent girl in front of him was capable of such a deception. He smiled at her sleeping form, amazed at how easily she slipped into the land of dreams.

"I love you, Lucy Heartphilia," He whispered once more before he, too, fell asleep.

* * *

A figure slipped away from the cave entrance, his head hanging low as he made his way back to the cave he was sharing with his friends. Natsu had snuck out to hear what Lucy's answer to Zeref's question would be. While he had expected her to reject the idea of loving him, he had still been surprised at how much it hurt. He'd been even more surprised when she confessed her love to Zeref. For a long moment he'd sat there in stunned silence, fighting to keep his emotions in check.

Zeref seemed like a good guy, after all. Not at all like the stories made him out to be, but that didn't stop the jealousy that coursed through Natsu like fire in his blood. He'd always known that there was a good possibility that he was in love with the celestial mage, but he'd never wanted to admit it, preferring to stay friends with her rather than risk the chance of ruining their friendship. Now he couldn't help but wonder if he'd said something if she would have had a different answer for Zeref tonight.

Tears pricked at Natsu's eyes and he angrily brushed them away. He'd made an agreement after all and he couldn't back out now, especially not if Lucy was happy with the dark wizard. He looked back at her cave one last time before slinking into his, thankful that every was asleep as he curled up on his bedroll, holding his knees to stomach as he laid on his side.

Only then did he allow the tears to roll down his face. He'd lost his only chance to finally tell his best friend how he really felt about her. Coming here had been a waste after all. They would never get Lucy back. Not _their_ Lucy, she was Zeref's now.

* * *

In another corner of the cave, Wendy watched the boy she viewed as a brother curl up in the same position that she curled up when she was hurting. More than anything she wanted to go to him and comfort him, but she sensed that right now was not the time. He needed to be alone to work through his emotions, which she could sense were a jumble right now.

 _Lucy must have denied him_ , She thought to herself, trying not to think about it any more as she rolled over and allowed herself to drift into sleep.

* * *

Erza had seen Natsu slink in the cave and had considered going to him and scolding him for leaving like he did. She rejected that idea the moment he laid down. Defeat and sorrow were written in the slump of his shoulders and the way he held himself like he was trying to keep his pieces together. Erza knew that pose all too well and sighed softly. Natsu had finally figured out what she'd known the moment she'd witnessed the way Lucy interacted with Zeref - Lucy was never going to come home. Her heart belonged to the man of the island and she would stay here with him until the end of time.

It made Erza angry to know someone that she considered her family could fall for history's darkest mage. Especially someone as gentle and innocent as Lucy, but meeting Zeref had made her wonder if history really had gotten him right after all. He didn't seem evil but misguided and lonely.

She sighed again as she settled into her watch once more. She just hoped that Lucy would be careful.


	10. Chapter 10

Lucy woke up smiling happily. Her best friends were here, she had confessed her feelings to Zeref and he returned them, and it was a beautiful day outside. The only way she could be happier would be if she was in her apartment in Magnolia instead of on Tenrou Island far away from her guild and nakama. She shifted to find Zeref awake already and watching her with a matching grin on his face.

"You know," She teased. "You keep smiling like that and people might actually think you're a nice guy."

His grin widened, "Is that supposed to be a bad thing?"

She shook her head, "Only if you want to keep your reputation as the darkest wizard in history."

Zeref's face fell, "Is that what they are saying about me?"

She nodded.

He sat up, pulling her with him so he could continue holding her while he thought. After a few silent moments Lucy turned her head to look at him, concerned that he was upset. He smiled at her reassuringly before he haltingly began.

"Once - once I was very dark man. And I did evil things. I can't deny that for a moment, you've heard about it all, I'm sure."

Lucy nodded again, squeezing his hand reassuringly.

"I didn't start out that way, though. I was going to create an amazing guild and we were going to be more of a family rather than friends. I even took on disciples," He hung his head at that. "At least one of them turned out good anyway, but that is neither here nor there. I told them about my idea and they were so excited for it. I trained them hard and when I was ready I told them it was time, but then something happened. I was cursed with this Death Magic. I ran away, I couldn't hurt the most precious people in my world. I wouldn't stand for it, so I ran."

Lucy's eyes were wide with wonder. She'd always heard that Zeref had disciples, but she'd figured that they were like the followers of Zeref who wanted to bring him and his demons back. She'd never imagined that his disciples were from before he went evil.

"As my 'magic' grew in power, my respect for life diminished," Zeref continued. "Humans were already picking each other off like flies, what did it matter if I took the rest? Nothing mattered to me anymore so long as the ones I cared for were safe. Back then I didn't understand why they would matter to me if no one else did, but now I realize that it was my last shred of humanity - the thing that would save me in the end. I created demons to do my biding, awful monstrosities that could only be defeated by powerful mages. In the end though, Mavis caught up with me. I always knew that it would be her to save me - or kill me. Her soul is just as gentle as yours and she begged me to destroy my demons and turn myself in to the newly created Magic Council. I refused and she turned on me. My best and brightest student and she was fighting me. That was when I realized that somewhere along the way I'd gone wrong, so I locked my demons away with the help of some of the best mages of that time and allowed Mavis to seal me away here."

Zeref finished, hanging his head in shame, "When I awoke I didn't know who I was at first. Mavis explained everything to me and I ran. Then these kids came to the island and I was desperate to stay away from them, but some of them found me and my magic exploded from me. They should have died, but one was wearing a scarf, a very powerful, magical scarf that somehow absorbed all the magic. I ran again, trying to stay clear of them, but I had to help when that ship attacked, so I did."

Lucy looked at him in wonderment, "So you're the reason that Precht died."

"My biggest failure, I'm afraid. He turned dark, consumed with the need to find me and bring me back to the world of the living where I could reign destruction down on everyone if I so desired. He didn't understand that who I was isn't who I am anymore. I desire to be away from humanity so that I might not harm anyone ever again."

"Does that include me?" Lucy whispered, staring down at her hands.

He held her closer, squeezing her lightly, "Not you, never you. I want you to stay with me always."

Lucy smiled brightly at him, "Then I will."

He laughed softly and kissed her, "Good."

"Wait," Lucy stopped, his full story finally sinking in. "You trained Master Mavis?"

He nodded, "Someone had to train her, right?"

Lucy nodded, "I just never imagined that it would be you."

He laughed and kissed her forehead, "I am over four hundred years old after all, little one."

Lucy frowned at him, "Well, it's hard to remember that when you still look so young."

He grinned at her, then looked up in surprise, "You should probably get dressed unless you don't mind the others seeing you in your pajamas. They're going to be here soon after all."

Lucy stuck her tongue out at him but did as he said, finishing pulling back her hair just as the group walked in once more. She grinned at her friends as they settled into a circle. Today the talking was more normal, not the excited chatter of everyone trying to fill everyone else in on what had been happening the last few months, but the normal chatter of friends who are happy to see each other once more.

"Lucy, will you come home with us?" Erza finally asked, looking directly at the blonde mage.

Lucy shook her head, "I meant what I said yesterday. As long as Zeref is sealed on this island I will not leave him even if I can."

Erza nodded, "Very well. We'll just have to take Zeref back to the guild with us as well."


	11. Chapter 11

The group turned and looked at Erza with wide eyes, Zeref included.

"I really don't think I can leave the island," Zeref protested.

"Have you ever tried?"

Zeref looked away, guiltily, "Well, no."

Erza nodded, "Then it's settled, we'll all get on the ship and go back to Magnolia. Master will just have to understand it."

The others nodded, though Lucy and Zeref exchanged concerned looks before Erza turned on Lucy.

"Now, pack you're stuff, because we're going home."

Lucy swallowed, but didn't argue as the group raced out of her home, heading toward the cave they'd stayed in. She turned back to Zeref who was staring after her friends in confusion.

"Why would they want me to come back with them?"

Lucy grinned, 'That's just the way my friends are. Never leave your family behind. You might not be family to them yet, but you're family to me and that's good enough for them."

Zeref grinned back before kissing her gently, "I'm a little nervous about what will happen."

Lucy laughed, "Don't be nervous. I'll protect you."

He looked down at her as her hand slid into his, squeezing gently.

"I believe that you really will," He whispered before he helped her pack her things back into the sack that she had brought.

* * *

Zeref had no possessions of his own that he wasn't wearing, so he was ready immediately, though he fidgeted as they boarded the ship, staring at the island that had been his home for all of these years. He wasn't certain he was ready to face the world yet, but he knew that he had to sometime. He was surprised when the ship pulled away from the island with ease, and even more so when he stayed on the ship, watching as the island shrank away until it wasn't even a speck on the landscape.

After settling in with the girls, Lucy joined him on the deck as he continued to stare in the direction that Tenrou Island was in.

"You okay?" She asked, touching his arm gently.

He nodded, "It feels strange to be going back to the mainland after all of these years."

"I know, there's going to be so much that is going to seem strange to you," She smiled. "But don't you worry, stick close to me and I'll show you what's what and keep you protected."

He grinned down at her, "I believe you really will."

She nodded, leaning against him, "I finally found you. I'm not going to let you go so easily."

* * *

Makarov was in a state that even had Mira a little afraid as he stormed around the guild. Team Natsu had vanished a month ago, taking Levy with them, and no one seemed to know what had happened to the reckless team. He was fit to be tied with them.

"Mira," Makarov hollered from his office.

The white-haired demon takeover mage trudged up the stairs, shaking visibly as she opened the door.

"Yes, Master?"

"Have you heard from those brats?"

Mira shook her head, "No, Master. Last I knew -"

"I know, I know," Makarov dismissed her with a weary sigh and a wave of his hand. "Well, if you do, be sure to let me know."

Mira nodded before turning and heading back down the stairs, her shoulder slumping in relief. She knew that the Master was only worried about the team, but she was still concerned that he might do harm to someone if something didn't happen soon.

As if her wish was a command, the door burst open, Natsu and Gray racing through before Erza and Levy followed behind, grinning. Wendy walked alongside a blonde, that Mira recognized as Lucy after a few seconds, who was tightly holding the hand of a dark-haired young man.

Mira grinned at them, waving her hello before running up the stairs to inform the master of the good news.

Lucy looked around her guild in apprehension. She knew her guild mates would be happy to see her, but she wasn't sure how they would react to Zeref. On the ship, they'd agreed that Makarov would have to be told who he really was before anyone else could know, but they weren't sure if they should keep his name a secret after that or just tell those in the guild. Finally they'd agreed to talk to the old man first.

She tugged Zeref toward the stairs just as the little man came running out of the guild, his eyes glowing as he saw his favorite team had returned. He stopped short, however, when he saw Lucy and Zeref standing at the end of the stairs, his smile slipping as his shoulders slumped.

"Well, come on up, we should probably talk about this," He said, waving the two up with an air of defeat.

Lucy shifted nervously as she pulled her boyfriend up the steps behind her, ignoring the teasing that Natsu was getting about it. Makarov closed the door as soon as the two stepped inside and pointed at the chairs across from his desk.

"Sit."

They sat immediately.

"Explain."

Lucy sighed, "I tried to stay, really. Erza, however, seems to think that you were wrong to send us away and wouldn't let up until we agreed to come back with her."

"We?" He raised an eyebrow, looking over at the boy sitting beside her. "Zeref?"

The man hung his head, "Yes."

Makarov studied him for a long minute.

"Mavis says that you've changed your ways. That you no longer desire the destruction of the human race as you did four hundred years ago."

Zeref nodded eagerly.

"And you can control your magic?"

The couple sighed, both shaking their heads in dismay.

"There is an upside to this though," Lucy looked up grinning. "It seems that as long as I'm with Zeref his magic can erupt without doing harm. My magic combats his so effectively that not even Natsu or Erza can notice it's affects."

Makarov looked at the two thoughtfully, contemplating the dilemma he was in before sighing in defeat.

"We'll give it a trial run. So long as no one is harmed by this Death Magic at the end of the year, Zeref can stay on. For now, he'll be a Fairy Tail Wizard."

The two nodded before Lucy hesitantly brought up the next issue.

"What do we do about Zeref, though? The others will freak if they find out who he is."

Makarov grinned, "Oh, I have a plan for that. Now, go, get Zeref his stamp."

The two left and Lucy pulled him down to sit in front of Mira.

"Mira, we have a new member," Lucy called, waving the bartender over.

Mira grinned, pulling the stamper out from under the counter.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail," She said. "You must really like Lucy if you're willing to join us without knowing anyone else first."

Zeref grinned back, "Well, I have met Natsu, Gray, Erza, Wendy, and Levy as well, but yes, I really do like Luce."

He smiled at the blonde, still holding her hand - which did not escape Mira's notice - as the bartender asked him where he would like his stamp. For a long time Zeref was silent, contemplating it before grinning broadly.

"Right here," He announced, pulling his shirt open and pointing to the area right above his heart.

Mira and Cana both stared at the surprisingly built mage before Mira stamped him, watching as the stamp faded to black with pink edges. The three girls both gasped in surprise as Zeref looked at them in confusion.

"This isn't normal, I take it?" He asked, admiring his stamp.

The three shook their heads.

"Well, Levy's is white with an orange outline, but this is something else," Mira whispered, watching as the pink faded inwards, leaving the edges a little brighter.

She looked between the two knowingly. She'd only ever seen one other stamp do that, though she wouldn't say anything about that to the two obvious lovebirds. It might freak them out after all.

"So, what did you say you're name was?" She asked, leaning forward slightly just as the master came out of the office.

"Alright, Listen up brats," He yelled, causing the whole guild to immediately fall silent. "Lucy is back."

Cheers sounded through the whole guild and Zeref looked at her in surprise. Everyone here really did seem to love the blonde, who was blushing at the cheers.

"She brought a friend with her as well. Don't pester them about it, alright. His name's Zeref," He paused as he waited for the murmurs to calm down. "Yes, his parents are dingle bats for naming him that, but you can't blame a boy for his parents fool brains. Be good to him, I sense Lucy might get angry if you don't."

He added the last part with a wink in Lucy's direction, which immediately sent the guild in a frenzy of demands of the blonde, who was staring at the floor, blushing so hard that her whole face was red.


	12. Chapter 12

Zeref shifted uneasily. After all the time he had spent on his own, he wasn't used to people crowding around him. He could feel many looking at him curiously, even the ones that had remained in their seats and he was thankful that at least a few of the guild members knew the truth about who he was and accepted him anyway. He could feel Mira's thoughtful gaze on him and he turned to look back at the Demon Takeover Mage.

"So you and Lucy?" She asked, leaning forward so that others couldn't hear. "This didn't perhaps happen while she was away, did it?"

Zeref blushed lightly before nodding, "Yes. I happened to run into Lucy and we became very close in the time that she was away from here. I'm not really sure when it happened, but I fell for her and I guess that she must have fallen for me, too."

Mira nodded, her gaze turning even more thoughtful as she turned away.

Of course, Zeref had no idea that Mira had known where Lucy was this whole time or he might have considered his words more carefully.

* * *

Lucy wasn't paying attention to the interaction between her friend and her lover. She was busy trying to calm the rest of the guild down as a million questions were thrown at her from various people. She tried answering every question she could, but it was exhausting. As if sensing this, Zeref moved closer to her, pulling her toward him.

"Guys," Cana said, then louder. "Guys! Lucy is exhausted. You should leave off your questions for later."

The guild nodded in agreement and dispersed as Lucy shot her a grateful look.

"You should get some rest, Luce," Cana whispered. "You look beat."

Lucy nodded, standing just as Mavis appeared.

The couple stared at the spirit as she stared back, the three shifting awkwardly for a moment before Mavis sent a glare at Zeref that chilled the couple to the bone before storming off.

"Crap," Lucy whispered. "I was hoping to avoid her for a little while longer."

Zeref nodded, "She's going to kill us."

Lucy shrugged, "Come on, let's go home."

* * *

Lucy was surprised when she showed up at her apartment to find that the landlady still had it rented out to her and that all of her things were still as she had left them. The landlady had shrugged.

"You have a tendency of coming back here in the end. Your friends kept up the rent so I didn't see any harm in allowing it to stay open for you."

Lucy had been surprised by that as well, but let it go, pulling Zeref up to her place with a smile.

* * *

Zeref looked around her apartment in wonder. It was cozy and he could tell that she had made it into a home for not just herself, but her friends. Gray's clothes laid piled in one corner while Erza's romance novels were stack neatly on a bookshelf. He grinned, even Natsu had left little bits of himself behind in the form of tokens that the two had gathered together.

He felt a pang of jealousy and sadness. Jealousy for the time that Natsu had spent with Lucy, getting to know her and learning to love her. The sadness was for what could have been. Natsu loved Lucy dearly, anyone could see that, but he'd lost his chance the moment that Lucy was sent away from him. Looking around, though, he could see that Lucy cared a great deal for all of her friends, though she cared for Natsu more than the rest.

Zeref would keep quiet about it though. He didn't want to cause trouble between anyone, especially not himself and Lucy. He sat on the bed, looking through the photos she had pinned up on a board above it. Maybe of them were of her and Natsu or her and the team, though a few were of different people in Fairy Tail. His brow furrowed at one of her and a white-haired girl with a blonde man behind Lucy and a dark-haired man behind the other girl. None of them were in Fairy Tail.

Standing he carefully unpinned the picture, handing it to Lucy.

"I didn't meet these guys," Zeref said in confusion.

Lucy smiled down at the photo, "No. They're friends from Sabertooth. This was taken one night when the rest were out on a mission. I was still recovering from a wound I'd received and Yukino invited me to their guild for her birthday party that the master was throwing. Sting, the blonde, is the master now and he's really nice. Rogue is Yukino's boyfriend and he's the one behind her in the picture. Sting was my date for the night. I think Yukino was trying to hook us up to be honest."

Zeref nodded, "They seem like a powerful bunch."

"Well, both Sting and Rogue are dragon slayers, but Yukino is a Celestial mage like me."

Zeref looked at her with wide eyes, "She's the girl you gave your keys to?"

Lucy nodded, "She'll take good care of them. That much I'm certain of."

Zeref nodded, turning to examine the photo more closely.

"Do you have more pictures of other guild members? I don't want to confuse anyone after all," He grinned as he handed the photo back to her.

He watched as she stood, pinning that one up before taking down some other ones, handing them to him. She pointed out different people in each one, explaining who they were, what guild they belonged to, and why the picture was taken. He was surprised to find himself annoyed at the picture of her with three boys from Blue Pegasus. She explained that they were always flirting with girls, it didn't matter who the girl was, but that didn't make him feel any better as he noticed that one in particular - Hibiki - seemed to be especially fond of Lucy.

Lucy nodded, "Hibiki and I were partners on a mission together when we first met. Blue Pegasus and Fairy Tail had teamed up to fight a Dark Guild and we were paired together. He saved my life and in return I saved his. We were close for a while. He might still feel that way, but seven years trapped on Tenrou Island, asleep, has made our differences seem too much for me. I'll always cherish him as a friend though."

Zeref nodded, "I suppose that makes sense."

Lucy grinned at her boyfriend, kissing him gently as she tucked the photos away.

"Of course it makes sense," She laughed. "I always make sense."

He raised a questioning eyebrow at her logic, but didn't say a word as they snuggled in for the night.

"Lucy?" Zeref whispered into her hair.

"Hmm?"

"I can live here with you, right?"

"Of course you can," She whispered sleepily.

Zeref smiled down at her, "Good."


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Sorry it's been a bit since my last update. I've been sick and so haven't been on the computer that much. Feeling better now, so here's an update. Please excuse any mistakes, I'm still not 100 percent better.**

* * *

Lucy woke up the next morning, blinking in surprise as she realized that she was in her room. She had been sure that the last few days had been a dream and she would wake up to find herself still on Tenrou Island with Zeref tucked in beside her. Speaking of Zeref, she rolled over, grinning as she noticed her boyfriend curled up beside her, his breathing deep and even.

She kissed his forehead gently as she slipped out of her bed, heading toward the kitchen to make them breakfast. She pulled up short when she reached the kitchen, realizing that most everything she had would probably be spoiled or rotten by now. She sighed and pulled a magnetized notepad off her refrigerator door, starting on her grocery list.

Once finished she pulled open the refrigerator door, making a face as she looked at the mostly empty cooler. What little bit that was in there was molding. She was thankful that the milk had been used up, so at least it hadn't curled while she was gone. Sighing she pulled the trash can in front of the door, tossing everything in it that couldn't be salvaged.

Next came the freezer. Thankfully most of what was in there was stuff that could last for a long time. Ice chips, freezer pops, and a few box pizzas. The pizzas she wasn't sure about, but left alone. If anything she would give them to Natsu to test out later. That boy would eat anything.

She turned toward her cupboards, tossing the bread in the trash without a second thought. If the stuff in the refrigerator was molding there was no way the bread was still good. She was surprised to find that the cupboards were still decently stocked from the grocery trip she'd made before going to Tenrou and that nothing had expired yet.

Sighing in relief she pulled out that pancake mix that she had bought and began to make them, adding fresh fruit to her grocery list when she realized that they were going to have to be plain pancakes.

* * *

Zeref blinked in surprise as he woke up. The bed felt strangely empty without Lucy next to him, but what really surprised him was the smell that was wafting toward him from the kitchen. He wasn't sure what it was that he was smelling, but it smelled delicious. Obeying his urge to investigate, Zeref followed his nose to the kitchen where he found Lucy in her pajamas, making breakfast.

She turned and grinned at him.

"I hope y0u don't mind pancakes and water," She announced, doing a sexy little shake as she flipped the pancakes. "I'm afraid that while I was gone my food decided that it was going to continue to age without me and most of it molded."

Zeref nodded in understanding as he took a seat at the kitchen table.

"So after we eat, grocery shopping," Lucy announced, setting a plate in front of him.

"Grocery shopping?" Zeref blinked in surprise. "I thought you would want to go to the guild."

Lucy shrugged, "Can't live without food, dear. The guild won't be going anywhere anyways, so we have time. Besides that, we have to figure out what kind of magic you use. I mean, you can't just use your Death Magic when we go on jobs. Like I can't use my life magic, so I'll have to use my keys - key."

Zeref looked up in surprise, noticing a flash of sadness pass across Lucy's face.

"You miss them, don't you?" He asked.

She nodded, "But Yukino is taking great care of them, I'm sure, so I will not impose on the girl. Now, as far as magic goes -"

"Don't worry, I do know other types of magic. After all, it wasn't just my Death Magic that made me the feared wizard I am today."

Lucy frowned at Zeref, but didn't say anything as a knock sounded at her door.

"We'll continue this discussion later," She hissed before she skipped over to answer the door.

* * *

Lucy's jaw dropped as she stared at the girl standing at the other side of the door, looking up at her timidly.

"Yukino," Lucy gasped. "What are you doing here?"

The white haired celestial spirit mage blushed before softly replying, "I ran into Natsu today and he told me that you were back in town."

Lucy nodded, "Yes, I am."

"Are you back to stay?"

Lucy nodded again, warily, before blinking in surprise as Yukino thrust her old keys in her hand before running away. She looked down, noticing that the girl had given her all of her old keys with the exception of Aries. Lucy frowned before chasing after Yukino. Finally catching up with her just a block down.

"Why did you give me these keys back?" She demanded. "I gave them to you, I wanted you to use them."

The white-haired girl shook her head, "I know that you wanted me to, but I couldn't. Luc,y you're their master until you die. I only kept Aries because I had to summon her one time and make a contract with her and she refused to terminate the contract when I told her that you were coming back. She said that you would be angry with her if she were to back out of a contract just so that she could go back to you. She also insisted that she liked me just as much as she liked you. The rest of the keys I haven't used at all."

Lucy stared at her in stunned silence, "Why wouldn't you use them? I gave them to you because I was going away. I had no intention of ever coming back."

Yukino nodded, "I know. Aries kept me informed of everything Loke told her. If you weren't going to come back within the next year I would have started making contracts with the rest, but I just couldn't do it until I knew for sure that you were gone for good. They're your friends as well as your spirits, right?"

Lucy nodded, hugging the girl close to her.

"Thank you, Yukino. Thank you for being so sweet, but I really shouldn't take them back from you."

The girl smiled gently at Lucy as tears filled both their eyes, "I never accepted them. Therefore, you never gave them to me."

Lucy hugged her tighter, happiness filling her as she held the keys close to her heart. She had her friends back. Aquarius was going to be so angry when Lucy called her again, but Lucy didn't care. She was too happy to be scared of the mermaid's anger. For the moment anyways.


	14. Chapter 14

Zeref was still eating when Lucy returned, staring lovingly at eight shiny, gold keys that she held close to her. Without asking he knew those were her keys that she had given to the strange girl that had showed up at their door earlier today.

"You okay?" He asked softly as he finished the last of his pancakes.

She nodded, grinning broadly, "After I eat, do you want to see a celestial mage create contracts?"

Zeref nodded eagerly, "I'm more interested in seeing what the rest of your spirits look like. Loke looked human enough."

Lucy giggled at the thought of Zeref's reaction when she finally summoned the other spirits. Some of them, like Virgo, did look pretty human, but others, like Taurus, didn't look remotely human. He was in for a shock on that account. She ate quickly, determined to see her spirits as quickly as possible. She hadn't realized how much she'd missed them until Yukino had given her keys back to her. As soon as she'd finished eating she laid her keys out in front of her, looking at each one in turn, trying to determine which one she should summon first.

Aquarius, she knew, should take priority. She'd been with Lucy the longest and would be furious if Lucy summoned anyone before her, but Lucy also knew that summoning her in the bathtub would also infuriate the mermaid. She sighed before finally picking up the angry woman's key and turning to Zeref.

"She's the worst, just as a forewarning. I promise the rest of them will be much easier to deal with, but if I don't summon her first, then it's going to be even worse on us when I do, okay?"

Zeref nodded with wide eyes as he followed Lucy into the bathroom, watching in confusion as she drew a bath.

"Why are you -"

Lucy shushed him as she dipped the key in the water, calling forth the mermaid spirit. Aquarius appeared in a flash, glaring at the blonde.

"What have I told you about summoning me in the bathtub?" She yelled.

Lucy blushed, "Sorry, but -"

Aquarius cut her off, "If you ever try to terminate our contract again I will drown you, girl. Don't bother with a new one, as far as I'm concerned our old one was never terminated."

She turned her eyes on the dark-haired boy sitting beside Lucy and frowned.

"And who is this?"

Lucy's blush deepened as she took Zeref's hand in her own, "This is my boyfriend. Zeref meet Aquarius."

The blunette turned an angry eye on the boy, "If you ever hurt her I'll force my gate open and drown you, got it? Now, if you two don't mind, I have a date with my boyfriend. Be sure to summon him last, got it, girly."

Lucy swallowed, nodding eagerly. Aquarius was still more than a little scary after all. They watched as the mermaid disappeared and Lucy sat back, sighing.

* * *

Zeref watched the interaction with wide eyes, waiting for the woman to disappear before asking Lucy the question that was on his mind.

"Are all your spirits that scary?"

Lucy chuckled softly, "Not generally, no. Aquarius is just temperamental is all.""

He nodded and watched as she summoned the rest of them, one-by-one. All of them seemed to have considered their contracts in place still and he was in amazement at how all of them seemed to adore the blonde girl. All of the spirits had surprised him, their personalities were as varied and colorful as the people of Fairy Tail, though by far the one that surprised him the most was Gemini - who had appeared as a duplicate of Lucy, grinning mischievously at their master.

Lucy had scolded them lovingly but hadn't made them change back into their normal forms, instead making it seem as if she was going over the contract with herself. Zeref found the whole thing to be amusing, if not a little confusing. He found it less amusing when, just before they left, they turned and copied him. Suddenly he was staring at an exact replica of himself.

The twins looked at him sadly with his own eyes before turning into their normal selves.

"Too sad," Mini said before they disappeared, leaving Lucy to look after them wonderingly.

"They seemed to like you," She whispered as she put her keys away, looping them onto her belt.

Zeref raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything as he helped her back to her bed. She looked exhausted and he couldn't help but wonder if she'd overexerted herself summoning all of her spirits in a row like she had.

"Don't worry," She grinned brightly at him when he questioned her about it. "I'll be alright. It is a little tiring to do that but I don't do it very often and it's a special occasion."

Zeref glowered at her, "What's so special about it?"

"I finally got my friends back," She cheered before yawning loudly.

He shook his head as he kissed her forehead, "You need sleep."

She nodded, humming her agreement, "It's still day outside."

He laughed softly, "Sleep for a little while then. I'll wake you if something interesting happens."

She grinned before settling back into the bed she had vacated only a few hours ago.

* * *

Lucy watched Zeref through falling eyelids. She wondered if he realized just how much her spirits meant to her, which led her to wonder if he knew how much he meant to. She sighed lightly, feeling her eyelids grow heavier. She wanted desperately to tell him how she felt, but she felt like she was fighting a losing battle trying. Her brain seemed to have disconnected from her body as she struggled to say the three little words that were running rampant in her brain. She drifted off to sleep without knowing if she'd managed to get them out of her mouth or not.

* * *

Zeref froze in the middle of brushing Lucy's hair from her face. He couldn't be sure, but he swore she had whispered 'I love you' just before she'd fallen asleep. He stared down at her sleeping form and sighed softly.

"I love you, too, Lucy Heartfilia."


	15. Chapter 15

Lucy paced the guild hall, excitedly, as she waited for her team, plus Zeref, to gather their things. They'd finally taken on their first mission since returning from Tenrou Island and Lucy couldn't wait. Zeref still hadn't told her what type of magic he used and she was excited to see the man in action. Wendy had opted to stay behind, so it was just going to be the couple, plus Erza, Natsu, and Gray, which should be plenty of power for the job they were going to complete.

She grinned at the thought of working closely with her lover as the group walked through the double doors, chatting happily. She watched the scene from the seat she had taken only moments ago, smiling broadly. Natsu and Gray were competing for Zeref's attention while Erza watched on, rolling her eyes at the two boys. As soon as Zeref's eyes met Lucy's all chances of either of the two gaining his attention went out the window as he strode forward to take Lucy into his arms.

"I missed you," He said, kissing her softly.

A light blush dusted her face as she replied, "How could you have missed me? You've only been gone an hour."

"It was a very lonesome hour."

"Well, you needed more clothes and gear. Natsu and Gray were the best ones to help you find the proper equipment."

Zeref shrugged, "I would much rather it have been you that went out with me though. I don't like being away from you."

Lucy giggled while rolling her eyes, "You're going to have to get used to it. We can't be together all of the time."

Zeref pouted a little about that before agreeing.

"I just don't like it. What if something happens with this curse?"

Lucy hugged him, "If it starts to feel like you need me close by, come find me, okay? I'll get Warren or Cana to make you a tracker card so that you can always find me when you need to. Will that put you at ease?"

Zeref nodded, "It would be helpful."

Lucy grinned at her boyfriend, before turning to tell Cana her idea, explaining in vague detail about Zeref's curse without actually telling the drunk what it was or what it did, while telling her that Lucy's new kind of magic effectively combatted it. The brunette listened intently before nodding her agreement, telling Lucy that she would work with Warren on making a card just for the dark mage so that he could always find Lucy when needed.

* * *

Zeref watched the two girls talking, shifting nervously as he wondered just how much Lucy would have to tell this new found mate of his. He didn't know very many of the guild mates well enough to trust them, though he knew that they would keep his secret if he asked. He could still feel Mavis's disapproval radiating from her corner and he longed to talk to her, to tell her about his feelings for Lucy.

He knew that the tiny, but fierce founder would probably disapprove all the more. Mavis was gentle girl and could forgive a lot but he had pushed beyond that forgiveness a long time ago. Now she tolerated him for the sake of her guild, but that didn't mean she had to like or forgive what he had done. He sighed, turning his focus back to the ray of sunlight that he called his. Lucy grinned at him as she joined the rest of the group.

"Everyone here?" Erza, the steadfast leader, demanded, doing a mental head count.

Four heads nodded in unison and Erza nodded back as she shoulder her pack.

"Then let's head out," She announced.

"Where's Erza's pack?" Zeref leaned over to ask Lucy.

Lucy snickered, causing Gray and Natsu to join in while Zeref looked at them in confusion.

"Erza doesn't have a pack," Gray explained.

"She has a trolley," Natsu piped up, his snickering turning into laughter as they stepped outside and the group caught a look at Zeref's dumbfounded face as he stared at the cart that Erza's luggage was piled on.

He gaped for a moment before managing, "How on Earthland does she haul all of that around?"

Which, of course, caused another bought of laughter from the group.

"It's a secret," Gray replied, draping an arm around their newest comrade. "But we think it's a combination of the fact that she's super strong and her magic somehow allowing her to carry more than what she should be capable of."

The other two nodded their agreement as Erza turned to glare at them.

"Are we ready?"

The four nodded in unison, not wanting to upset the red-head.

"Good, Let's go," Her face softened as she looked at Zeref. "If you want to throw your pack on here I don't mind."

* * *

Lucy grinned as she watched the group interact. She hadn't realized just how much she missed going out on missions with them until just now. Some things never seemed to change and she was relieved to find that Natsu still welcomed people with open arms. His head was bent towards Zeref's as the two whispered conspiratorially. She raised an eyebrow, but didn't ask what the two were planning, sure that she would find out sooner or later.

"They seem to be as thick as thieves," Gray noted, walking next to her.

She nodded, "It's a little scary, isn't it?"

He nodded his agreement, "Whatever they're planning, Erza is going to squash them like bugs if she finds out."

Lucy laughed, "This is true. Though I am curious to know what it is they are planning."

The two didn't have long to wait as Natsu shouted, "I didn't know that you could do that!"

Zeref nodded and Natsu grinned brightly before running back toward the two who were watching in concern.

"Luce, did you know that Zeref can cause everyone to be immobile unless he decides otherwise? How great is that? We can just freeze our enemies and then blast them away?"

Lucy raised an eyebrow, "I didn't know that, but we really shouldn't do things that way. That's sort of like cheating, you know."

Natsu pouted, "Yeah, but then they can't hurt us."

"Yes, but how much credit can we actually take if they just stand there like statues and allow us to take them out?"

"You're right," Natsu sighed before turning back to Zeref. "Looks like we'll have to come up with a different plan of attack."

Zeref nodded gravely as the two bent their heads together once more, causing the others to look on in amusement.


	16. Chapter 16

Lucy struggled to her feet, shakily. She wasn't sure why it seemed that Erza and Natsu always chose the most dangerous jobs on the board, but she wished once in a while they would go with something a little less dangerous. She sighed as she looked around. Erza was already standing, helping Gray to his feet. Not far from Lucy, Natsu was sitting as he struggled to pull Zeref upright.

She sighed as they regrouped where Natsu and Zeref were sitting. The dark haired mage leaned heavily on Natsu as he smiled weakly up at the blonde standing before him.

"Did we over do it?" He asked, weakly.

Lucy nodded as she examined him. Physically, Zeref seemed fine, but something seemed to be draining him of all of his strength. She shifted to his right side and immediately noticed the problem. There was a small, but deep gash on his right hip and it was bleeding heavily. She would have noticed it much sooner if the boy didn't always wander around in black.

He must have gotten it when one of the monsters had taken a swipe at her. She closed her eyes, remembering how he had intervened, stepping between the two as Natsu and he had hit it for all they were worth. Lucy shook her head sadly, the wound was deeper than she would have liked and was definitely going to require more than just first aid.

He grinned down at her.

"I trust you, Luce," He whispered, one hand fumbling to hold hers tightly. "I know you have it within you to fix this."

Lucy looked up at him with tears in her eyes, "I'm not sure I can."

He shook his head, "Yes you can. You brought Natsu back from the grave, you can fix this little scratch."

She felt Natsu's hand settle firmly on her shoulder, "We believe in you, Luce."

She sighed and shakily rested her hands on Zeref's hip, closing her eyes as she felt for the magic that had brought Natsu back. She pictured Zeref's body lying lifeless in her arms, imagining the pain that would cause, and felt the magic welling up in her.

* * *

Zeref watched the Celestial Mage work with wide eyes. She glowed brightly, gold light shining around her as the magic started to take hold. Her hair floated around her, like she was underwater and her chest heaved under the strain of keeping the magic in check. The tingling in his side indicated the wound was healing, then suddenly it was gone and Lucy leaned back into Natsu, looking exhausted. Zeref glanced down at the place where the wound had been. The only indication that there had ever even been one was a patch of pink skin that was quickly fading to the normal pale color of the rest of his skin.

Zeref looked back at Lucy, who grinned tiredly at him. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her from Natsu as he kissed her.

"You're amazing," He whispered.

She laughed, tiredly, "I feel like a wreck."

He shook his head, "You're still wonderful."

Natsu and Gray cleared their throats in annoyance and the couple broke apart, blushing fiercely.

"Sorry," Lucy said, as Zeref picked her up. "That was rude of us."

The five of them headed back toward town to collect their reward, Zeref and Natsu taking turns carrying Lucy who was at the point of passing out from exhaustion.

* * *

"You shouldn't have used so much of your magic, Luce," Natsu scolded when Zeref passed her off to him for a few minutes. "Now look at how tired you are."

She grinned up at him, though anyone could see the effort it took her to do so, "But if I hadn't, I could have lost Zeref."

"Tch," Natsu looked away in annoyance.

Lucy sighed and closed her eyes, she didn't have it in her to argue with him at the moment. She knew he was angry about the whole situation, but she had given up waiting on Natsu a long time ago. She was happier with her dark mage.

* * *

Zeref watched the interaction with a heavy heart. Already he was hurting his new found friends without meaning to. He sighed as he fell back, allowing Natsu to keep a hold of Lucy. The two were closer than he had originally thought and Zeref wondered if he could really keep those two apart. He loved Lucy, but he also cared about how Natsu felt about the whole situation. Anyone could see the Fire mage was unhappy about the whole thing, though he would never say as much.

Zeref sighed as the group moved forward and Gray fell back to walk with the newest member.

"You know that Natsu's still in love with her, right?"

Zeref nodded, "I suspected as much, yes."

Gray nodded, "He won't interfere because Lucy is happy, but you've gotta know that he'll move Heaven and Earth to kill you if you make her cry."

Zeref nodded again, "As I would expected from someone as passionate as he is."

Gray looked at him out of the corner of his eye, "You realize that stands for everyone in Fairy Tail."

Zeref nodded, "Yes, Mavis told me that Lucy was your light. I can only imagine what would happen to the person who tried to harm that light."

His eyes glinted dangerously, "I could only imagine what would happen if someone else tried to harm Lucy while she's in _my_ care."

Gray nodded, "You and Natsu would probably have to be strapped down to keep from going after that person. Even then, I'm not sure that would be enough."

Zeref shook his head, "Nothing could stop me from killing the person who harmed my light."

Natsu looked back, grinning at Zeref, "You'd have help."

Zeref nodded, looking at Natsu in surprise. Sometimes he forgot that the dragon slayer had unnatural hearing. He wasn't surprised by Natsu's feelings for Lucy. Even back during the S-Class trials he could feel how much the pinkette cared for the girl. The boy could deny it all he wanted, but Natsu was definitely in love with Lucy. Zeref might have felt bad for the boy, if he wasn't also in love with the blonde in Natsu's arms.

* * *

Lucy woke up just as reached Fairy Tail. She struggled up, surprised to see herself in Gray's arms.

"How long have I been asleep?" She asked.

"Long enough for us to collect our reward, get a ride back here, and walk to Fairy Tail," Gray teased.

"Where's Zeref and Natsu?" She asked as the ice mage set her down.

"Well, Natsu is recovering from motion sickness - again - and Zeref is with him. They fought over who got to hold you all the way home, so Erza designated me as your carrier until we could get you into the infirmary," Gray said, helping Lucy into the guild.

Lucy shook her head, "That's really not necessary."

Gray looked at her darkly, "It is Erza's command that you be taken to Wendy. I will not disobey that woman, even for you, Lucy."

Lucy shivered, she'd never seen Gray look so angry before. She bit her tongue from arguing and nodded meekly.

"Okay," She answered weakly.

She was surprised when not even Juvia said a word about him carrying her to the infirmary, but looking back up at his face, she realized that even if the water mage had wanted to say something about Lucy being her love rival, she wouldn't dare say it with the look on his face. Gray looked angrier than even Natsu had when she had been attacked by Minerva. She shivered, glad she wasn't on the dark-haired man's bad side.


	17. Chapter 17

Gray slammed the door as he headed out to meet the rest of his team, glaring at the two boys as he did so.

"You two are idiots," He snarled. "Lucy's life could have been in danger and you two acted like it was no big deal. Don't you care at all about this girl?"

Natsu glared at the Ice Mage, but kept his mouth shut.

"That's not fair," Zeref protested. "Lucy was fine."

"Lucy was not fine," Gray whirled on him. "You two are so wrapped up in who gets Lucy that Lucy isn't going to survive the fight to find out who the winner is. You play nice in front of her and put on a good show, but that display today was awful."

Erza nodded her agreement as the two hung their heads. Maybe fighting over the blonde on the train ride home hadn't been the best idea, but Zeref didn't like how close Natsu and Lucy were. It bothered him that she had curled up in Natsu's arms like it was the most comfortable place to be instead of in his own.

He looked longingly toward the infirmary, "How is she?"

Gray sighed as he sat down, "She's had worse, but she's still not in the best of shape. That magic took a lot out of her. Wendy looked more than ready to scold her, but she didn't when she saw how weary Lucy looked. Lucy will probably get an earful when she wakes up though."

Erza smiled softly, "She complains that Carla is always scolding her, but I can see that's she's just as much a mother hen as the exceed is."

Zeref looked between them all in confusion, "Wendy is a healer?"

They nodded, "Yes. Lucy should train under her for a while. Wendy's magic in healing may not be on par with Lucy's but it's still the best we have and, until Lucy can learn to control her magic better, she's still the most experienced and disciplined."

Zeref looked at them in awe, "That's pretty awesome."

They nodded in agreement as they settled in to wait.

* * *

Lucy felt disoriented the next time she opened her eyes. The last thing she remembered was being in Gray's arms. She shivered at the memory, wondering if Juvia was contemplating her demise. She sat up slowly, looking around. Relief swept through her when she realized that she was in Fairy Tail's infirmary, then she shivered when she noticed a pair of chocolate eyes glaring at her.

"Wendy?" Lucy asked hesitantly.

Wendy glared at her, "How many times have I told you not to use your life magic unless you have to!"

"But I did have to," Lucy protested. "We were too far away and Zeref was losing a lot of blood."

Wendy shook her head, "I'm still mad at you. You used too much. _Again_."

Lucy sighed, "I'm sorry, Wendy."

Wendy broke into a grin, hugging the blonde. "I'm just glad you're okay. The guild lost you once, we will not tolerate losing you a second time."

Lucy nodded in understanding as she hugged the small girl back, "I'm sorry, Wendy. I didn't mean to worry you."

The doors burst open then as her team tumbled in.

"Lucy, you're awake!" Natsu cheered as he sat down on her right.

Zeref grinned brightly, sitting on her left.

Lucy chuckled as Erza and Gray even smiled at her.

"We're glad you're okay, Lucy," Erza said, gravely.

Lucy smiled, "I feel fine. I'm still a little tired but otherwise, I feel great. You guys worry too much."

Zeref frowned at her, "We worry just the right amount."

The boys nodded their agreement as they frowned down at Lucy.

* * *

Zeref stared down at his girlfriend in concern. She said she was fine, but Zeref could sense how much magical energy had been drained from her and he felt a tug at his heart. Lucy was the most precious thing in this world, he couldn't handle it if he lost her after taking so long to find her.

 _I must find a way to keep her alive._

He stared down at the beautiful girl before a smile flashed through his mind and he lowered his head, guiltily.

 _No_ , He shook his head to clear away the thoughts. _That road leads to darkness._

He shivered at the thought of recreating himself into the dark mage he was once and looked back down at Lucy.

 _She'll keep me sane. She'll protect me from the darkness._

He knew it was an awful burdened to place on her delicate shoulders, but he also knew that Lucy would accept it without complaint. Smiling down at her, he took her hand in his own, eternally grateful that he had found her after all this time.

* * *

Lucy studied her boyfriend carefully as she listened to Erza discuss their last mission. An inner war seemed to rage within the dark-haired mage, writing itself across his face as seemed to debate something. There was very little known about why Zeref became as dark as he had, but Lucy couldn't help but wonder if something within him was going dark now.

"Erza," She said softly, interrupting the red-head. "Can you get Mavis for me, please?"

They looked at her in surprise - not just by her request but by the fact that she had interrupted and dismissed Erza without a second thought. The Re-quip mage nodded, dragging Gray and Natsu out with her as she searched for the first master.

"What do you want Mavis for?" Zeref asked in confusion.

Lucy looked down at her hands and -lying - answered, "I just wanted to talk to her about something that she suggested to me once before."

"Would you like to be alone?"

Lucy nodded, grateful that he could see she needed this to be a private conversation.

"Zeref," Mavis said, coolly, as she floated in.

Zeref nodded his greeting before ducking out of the room, quietly closing the door behind him and instructing Erza not to let anyone in until Mavis and Lucy were done talking.

"Mavis," Lucy said weakly, feeling exhausted. "I need to ask you something."

The blonde nodded as she settled beside Lucy, studying her in concern.

"Shouldn't you rest?"

Lucy shook her head, "It can wait. I know you don't care for Zeref, but I need to ask you about him."

Mavis shrugged her tiny shoulders, "I'll tell you what I can. It's not that I don't care for him, I just haven't forgiven him for what he did."

Lucy smiled softly, "Isn't it time to let go of the past? I love Zeref and I don't want there to be a conflict about it."

Mavis smiled, "No conflict, I promise. What did you need to ask me?"

"What happened to Zeref? He seems like such a gentle soul, I don't understand how he can be the same Zeref that did all of those horrible things so long ago."

Mavis sighed, swinging her feet gently, "I was afraid that was what you were going to ask."

Lucy watched patiently as Mavis thought carefully about her next words.

"Once, Zeref was just as you see him now. Even with the curse, he was still good and sweet, though he was a bit of loner. Eventually he found my friends and I and started training us, though he was distant sometimes. It wasn't until much later that we learned the truth. Zeref had been working on the R system when he was cursed. You see, he had a little brother who was his entire world, but his brother became very ill and died. Zeref became obsessed with bringing the boy back, no matter the cost."

Lucy listened with wide eyes, "And?"

"That's when he started created demons. I think he was just trying to revive the brother he lost, but somehow he kept creating demons instead. I'm not really sure."

Lucy lowered her head, a wave of sorrow washing over her. It made sense now. Zeref had good intentions, but somehow everything had gone horribly wrong.

"I never knew he had a brother," She said sadly.

Mavis nodded, "No one did for a long time."

"What was his name?"

"Natsu."


	18. Chapter 18

The room was so silent you could hear a pin drop as Lucy processed what Mavis had said. Her heart raced as tried to imagine the two boys she knew as brothers. In her mind they wouldn't fit together and she immediately discarded the idea. It had to be a different Natsu, obviously. She felt stupid for even thinking that it could be the same Natsu that she knew, but kept quiet about it, not wanting Mavis to know that she had assumed the small blonde had meant her Natsu. It was impossible. Wasn't it?

"Not _our_ Natsu," Lucy finally managed to whisper.

Mavis looked up at her, shrugging, "I never saw the boy that Zeref called his brother, so I couldn't be sure, to be honest, but it's possible."

Lucy shook her head, "How?"

"No one really knows Natsu past and even he's admitted that the only parent he's ever known is Igneel. It could be that Zeref managed to revive the boy and somehow he ended up in Igneel's care, never knowing who he was or where he came from," Mavis suggested. "But then this is all conjecture and it could be that Natsu just lost his parents at some point when he was small and Igneel adopted him, who knows?"

Lucy thanked Mavis and the small master left, leaving Lucy to ponder the situation. If Zeref would go that far for his brother, how far would he go for the girl he loved? She shuddered at the idea, her heart clenching as she began to understand the war that was waging inside of him. How easy it must feel to fall back into his old ways and obsessively look for a way to keep her alive. She prayed that he wouldn't; he'd taken that path once and it had led him to darkness. This time she hoped that he would leave it alone and allow things to progress as they did naturally.

* * *

Zeref peaked his head in as Mavis left, studying his girlfriend carefully. She seemed so peaceful as she rested, but he still wondered how much longer she had left if she kept things up. The idea of losing her terrified him and he struggled with himself, wondering if he should try to find a way to keep her alive. He wouldn't use the R-system again, that had proven to be his undoing before, but maybe there was a way to keep her from even dying in the first place. Thoughts raced through his head as he sat beside her again, slowly piecing together what little information he knew about Lucy and her newfound magic.

"There has to be a way," He whispered, staring at the blonde he had fallen for. "I can't lose you, too."

Lucy opened one eye, looking at him curiously, "Zeref?"

He looked up, holding her hand in his, "Hey, Lucy."

"Don't you be thinking what I think you're thinking," She warned.

"I can't lose you, Lucy."

She shrugged, struggling to sit up even though it exhausted her to do even that little bit.

"Eventually you will have to, whether it be now, ten years from now, or a hundred years from now, everyone dies," She said softly.

"Not me," Zeref answered sadly. "I just keep on going even when everyone I've ever known or loved is gone, I still keep _going_."

* * *

Lucy smiled sadly at him, "Well, one day you'll have to quit. You can't go on forever after all."

He chuckled bitterly, "Why not? It's been four hundred years and I'm still here."

She took his hand in her own, "But I'm here now."

He smiled down at her, "Yes you are, which is why I cannot lose you."

She sighed and shook her head, wondering what she was going to have to do to convince him not to go down this road again. Before she could say a word his eyes widened and with a kiss and a promise that he would be back as soon as looked something up, he was gone. Lucy watched him go with an ache in her heart and a twist in her gut. Zeref had thought of something, she was sure. She just wasn't sure that he should be looking up whatever it was that he had thought of.

* * *

Zeref hurried toward the library, his thoughts racing. He knew that what he was thinking of doing could be construed as immoral if not illegal. He didn't care if it meant that he could save Lucy. Once he had created the R-System to revive his little brother and if he could create that then he could keep Lucy alive, right? His brain shifted into high gear as he entered the library, heading for the rare book section.

Hours later, Zeref was buried in a pile of books, scratching away on a notepad he'd dug out of the pack he had unknowingly carried with him. His hair was a mess from constantly running his fingers through it while he pondered what he scribbled on his notepad. Any time he finished a book he set it aside, carefully marking each section he needed with a small bookmark before closing it, just incase he needed to pull it out later to reference it once more.

"Zeref?" Levy appeared from around the corner, possibly carrying her weight in books.

"Hey Levy," He said with a distracted wave.

The small blunette giggled, wondering if that was how she appeared when she was doing research herself. Silently she set her books on a table not far from the mage before approaching him once more.

"Here," She handed him a pair of her Gale-Force reading glasses. "These help you read faster, so that you can absorb more."

Zeref hesitantly took them, "Don't you need them?"

She grinned, "I have an extra pair. No worries."

He smiled as he gratefully accepted them and hesitated once more before asking, "If I'm not finished when the library closes, is it possible to hold certain books?"

She nodded, grinning brightly, "Just ask the librarian to keep them on reserve for you. If you want I can reserve them with my own. I have a special relationship with this place and normally when I reserve books they'll just leave the books where I left off so that I can come back the next day and continue on without having to search for the books again."

He smiled gratefully at her, "I would appreciate that."

She grinned before waving his thanks away.

"Anyone who cares about Lu-Chan is a friend of mine," She answered.

* * *

Lucy slept as she waited for Zeref to return, slowly but steadily recovering her strength. When she finally opened her eyes again the sun was just starting to set and still there was no sign of Zeref. She sighed before turning to look at the person that was sitting beside her, giggling softly when she saw that Natsu had fallen asleep waiting for her to wake up.

"Natsu," She whispered. "What on earth would I do without you?"

He opened one eye, peering down at her, "Probably disappear."

She flushed, looking away, "Whatever."

He smiled down at her, "But I'm here, so you'll never have to worry about that. I won't let any harm come to you, Luce."

She smiled up at her best friend, warmth flooding through her.

"Thanks, Natsu."

He smiled down at her, wishing more than ever that she'd never met Zeref.


	19. Chapter 19

**AN:**

 ** _ilft . natsu: I_ am also a die-hard fan, but this was a request so, sadly, Nastu must be the man waiting in the wings.**

* * *

Zeref tucked the notebook in his bag, surprised at how late it was getting, as Levy gestured over to his table, talking to the head librarian. The green-haired lady frowned in his direction but finally nodded at whatever Levy was saying and Levy bowed to her in thanks.

"It's all set," Levy announced as soon as she reached him. "You're books will all be left exactly as they are and, so long as you come back tomorrow, they will remain that way until you return them to the shelves yourself."

Zeref thanked Levy before hurrying out of the guild. He was desperate to see Lucy again, having been gone from her most of the day. Plus, he really wanted to discuss what he had found in his research. It wasn't a sure thing, but he thought he might have found something. He would just have to come back tomorrow and recheck his notes. He pulled up as he neared the guild; it would probably be better to wait until he was sure before sharing the information with his beloved. He didn't want to get her hopes up just to find out that it was a dead-end and there was nothing they could do after all. He sighed, his shoulders slumping a little at the thought, remembering how long it had taken him to get the formulas for the R System right.

He shook his head, he was just as determined as his little brother, however, and he would not give up until he found a way to make sure that Lucy stayed with him forever. He nodded in satisfaction as he swung the infirmary doors open, finding Natsu sitting there clutching Lucy's hand in his own.

* * *

Lucy smiled up at Natsu, taking his hand in her own. For as long as she'd known him, holding Natsu's hand was as easy as breathing. It was never awkward or embarrassing, but it never really invoked butterflies in her stomach like holding Zeref's hand did. It was just a natural thing that the both of them had taken for granted. Looking at that dragon slayer now, Lucy wondered if he had found it as easy and natural as she did.

"Lucy."

She turned her head to find Zeref standing in the doorway and she smiled brightly, instantly dropping Natsu's hand so she could stretch both of her arms out toward her lover. Zeref sighed inwardly with relief as he gathered up the delicate girl in his arms. For a moment he had been afraid that she was falling for the boy she'd known since joining Fairy Tail.

"Where have you been?" She demanded. "I've been missing you."

Zeref smiled down at her, "Sorry. I had some research to do in the library. I'll be going back there tomorrow, but I promise that after that I'll be here for you."

She grinned up at him, "I'm glad. Wendy says that by tomorrow I should have recovered enough of my strength that I can go home."

Lucy felt good about that, because right now all she wanted was a warm bath and a clean set of clothes. She felt gross, but she wouldn't disobey the little healer's instructions, knowing that Wendy would have a fit.

"She's also going to start training me next week," Lucy announced proudly, causing Zeref to grin back at her.

"That would be good," He replied. "It'll give you better control over your magic."

She nodded, "I should learn to control the magic inside me as well as I control the celestial magic I use."

Zeref nodded, "And when Wendy can't teach you anything else, I'll teach you my magic. Your magic is the opposite of mine, but I bet a lot of our spells are cast in similar ways. We should definitely try it out."

Lucy nodded, "I would like that."

Natsu stood from his seat as he listened to the two lovers talk.

"Well, I should probably go."

Lucy turned back to him, "Natsu?"

He turned, looking down at her with a slightly crestfallen face.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

His face seemed to transform as he smiled down at the celestial turned healer.

"No problem, Luce. I'll always be here when you need me."

Lucy smiled softly as he left the room, leaving Zeref to glare after him.

"Zeref?" Lucy turned her head back to her boyfriend, determined to ask him the question that had been on her mind all day.

"Yeah, Luce?" He asked, sitting down and taking her hand in his own.

"You had a little brother?"

* * *

Zeref felt the bottom fall out of his stomach. How had Lucy found out his secret? Very few people knew the truth behind his experiments. He had kept it that way on purpose. If people didn't know why he was doing them then they couldn't find a way to take the reason away.

"H - How did you know?" He asked hesitantly, a flicker of fear flashing through his eyes.

* * *

Lucy felt sorry as she saw that flicker. How long had he been keeping it secret to protect the boy? How often had he thought keeping it secret was the right thing to do, guarding his brother so that he could never be used against him. Lucy gently pulled him toward her.

"Don't worry," She whispered, kissing him gently. "I know this must be hard for you, but I am going to ask some questions. If you feel you can't answer yet, then just tell me and I'll drop it - for now. I understand if you're afraid, but I promise I'm not going to hurt either of you. I just have questions."

* * *

Zeref nodded, his brain knew that Lucy could never harm someone he cared about. Even more so, she could never harm someone that _she_ cared about. That didn't stop his heart from clenching and fear from roiling in his stomach. Too long he had kept Natsu a secret, trying to protect his little brother from those that would do him harm just because he was Zeref's sibling.

"Sorry," Zeref answered after a moment. "Yes, I have a brother."

"Named Natsu?"

He nodded, still curious as to how Lucy had found all of this out while he had been gone.

"Our Natsu?"

Zeref hesitated a moment, wondering if he should tell her the truth or lie to her. Lying would be easier, but in the end he knew the truth would have to come out eventually and lying to Lucy would just cause her not to trust him when the truth finally did come out.

He sighed, "Yes."


	20. Chapter 20

Lucy stared at Zeref for a long moment, trying to process what he had said. Natsu - _her_ Natsu - was Zeref's little brother. Clumsy, Dense, lovable Natsu. Part of her accepted it, but another part of her couldn't seem to comprehend what it was the raven-haired man was telling her. It wasn't until Zeref shook her that she realized she'd been saying 'our Natsu' repeatedly, as if saying it enough would make Zeref deny what he had already confirmed.

"I don't understand," Lucy finally said. "Mavis said that it was a possibility, but I didn't really believe her. Natsu's the same age as myself - how on earth could he be your brother?"

Zeref sighed, "Of course he is. Natsu did die after all. Granted that was a long time ago, but it did happen. Natsu was very little when he became very ill and died. I spent so much time trying to bring him back, I finally managed it. Mostly."

"Mostly?" Lucy raised an eyebrow in confusion.

Zeref hung his head, "Natsu is part demon. I created the demon and put him in Natsu's body, but you can still see Natsu in there, in his courage, his kindness, his love for his family. That's the Natsu I remember."

* * *

Zeref looked up to see Lucy's eyes wide with horror. His gut twisted, knowing that she was shocked and terrified by his confession. Natsu was good, through and through, Zeref knew that, but that didn't stop the fact that there was a monster inside the boy that could take over at any moment. He shifted uncomfortably, knowing that was his fault.

"So what happened?" Lucy finally asked in a whisper.

Zeref looked up in shock, Lucy still looked terrified, but she was determined to know Natsu's history.

"What do you mean?"

"How did Natsu go from being a body with a demon to Igneel's son?"

Zeref sighed, "I'm not really sure what happened, to be honest. I succeeded in bringing him back, but he was in a deep coma. Then the final war came and Mavis, with the help of her friends, sealed me on Tenrou Island, I'm still not even sure how I managed to get off the island with you guys. Natsu was comatose when they put me away. I can only imagine that he finally woke up to find everything had changed. Without me he would be unsure of who or what he was. I can imagine that he managed to leave the lab, which would probably be ruins by now, and somehow Igneel found him wandering in the woods, lost and alone."

Zeref bowed his head again, too afraid to look at his girlfriend and see the judgment he knew must be behind those beautiful brown eyes. What kind of person could make his brother part demon? He hated himself for it, but back then he had been desperate to bring his little brother back and anything would have been okay with him, so long as he could see that beautiful, bright smile again. Natsu had been the one good thing in his life and when the boy had died, Zeref had fallen to pieces. He could see now how he had been wrong to fuse a demon with the boy, but overall he still wasn't sure that he had been wrong to bring the boy back.

"I do have one more question," Lucy finally whispered, sitting up straighter. "How is it that Natsu can't remember any of this, but he remembers his name?"

Zeref shrugged, "Your name is one of the first things a person learns. It's the easiest thing to remember. Natsu probably remembered it because it had been so ingrained into him. While he was comatose I used to tell him everyday 'Your name is Natsu. I'm your brother, Zeref, and when you wake I will show you the world.' Of course, when he woke I was gone."

* * *

Lucy watched Zeref in surprise. His heart was just as big as her best friend's heart was. All he really wanted was to have his brother back, after all. Lucy smiled softly, recalling the first time she met Natsu and how he had been searching for Igneel. The two were more alike than they knew.

She giggled at the thought of the two of them together. Even though Natsu didn't know he was Zeref's little brother, the two were still so much alike and already they were thick as thieves. Lucy frowned, recalling how they were. They might be too much alike, however, in the fact that they both felt Lucy should belong to themselves. She recalled what Gray had said about their fight and she squirmed uncomfortably, hoping that she wouldn't be causing them too much trouble. She didn't want them to be fighting, especially not about her.

Zeref looked at her in surprise, "Why are you laughing?"

She grinned, pulling him close to her so that she could kiss him, "Just that the more I think about it the more I see how much you and Natsu are alike. It was hard for me to believe at first, but it's becoming easier as I think about. You're both fearless, loyal, and caring. You give your all in everything you do. I can see that Natsu must have looked up to you when he was little."

Zeref smiled fondly at a memory that only he could remember, "Yeah, he did. He was always following me around, his little stubby legs were unable to keep up with me, but he tried. It was cute. Sometimes it would get annoying, but then he would grin at me and wave his arms around and I couldn't help but forgive him. He was so little the last time I saw him, but it was easy to recognize him with his giant grin combined with the pink hair."

Lucy giggled, trying to picture what baby Natsu must have looked like.

"I bet he was a cutie," She grinned.

He nodded, "Oh yes. And he was always so full of fire and life - like he is now. He wanted to explore everything, all of the time."

A pink head peaked into the room, a smile upon his face.

"Hey guys," Natsu said. "Erza demands that Zeref come out this instant and give everyone a progress report on Lucy's condition. She wants to know if Lucy can eat with the guild today."

Lucy face split into the widest grin any of them had seen in a long time when she answered, "I wouldn't miss it for the world."


	21. Chapter 21

Lucy sat with Natsu on her left and Zeref on her right, grinning between the two brothers. She was still in awe of that fact that two most important men in her life were related. The whole thing seemed surreal to her, like something you read in a story instead of something that was actually happening to her. She shifted herself so that she could talk to Levy, who had sat on the other side of Natsu.

"Lulu, I'm so glad that you're okay," She grinned, winking at the blonde.

Lucy grinned back, "I feel fine. I probably could have been out yesterday, but Wendy wanted to make sure that I was fully rested before I started interacting with the guild again. I'm under strict orders from Wendy that if I start feeling tired that I will let one of these wonderful gentlemen know so that they can take me home."

Levy giggled, "Is that why neither of them have left your side since you came out of the room."

Lucy nodded in mock graveness, "I suspect that they think I'm a fragile girl who is in need of their protection."

The girls laughed merrily when the boys protested Lucy's words before Lucy turned to them, giving them each a glare, "Then why aren't you behaving as normal?"

"We don't know what you're talking about, Luce," Natsu protested.

Lucy stuck her finger out at him in irritation, "Why aren't you fighting Gray?"

Natsu scratched his head, unsure of how to reply without getting into even more trouble with his best friend. Zeref snorted as he watched the pinkette scramble for an answer he didn't have.

"And you," Lucy turned on her boyfriend. "Why aren't you ... doing whatever it is you did when I was sleeping in the infirmary?"

Zeref grinned, "Because I was in the library and it's closed for the day."

"Oh," Lucy replied, unsure of how to respond to that.

She turned back to Natsu, who was still scratching his head.

"And do you have an excuse?"

He sighed, "I just wanted to spend some time with you, Luce."

She looked at him suspiciously before sighing, "I cannot keep dividing my focus between the two of you. You're like two little boys competing for the same ice cream bar."

The two of them grinned at her and she sighed again, "Fine. But I'm telling you, if you two wear me out then I'm making you see me in shifts, got it?"

They both nodded eagerly before Natsu ran off, presumably to finally pick a fight with the ice mage. Lucy smiled, rolling her eyes as she turned back to Zeref.

"So what was so interesting in the library?" She teased softly.

* * *

Zeref shifted uncomfortably at her words, he was afraid to tell her what he'd been really doing down there. He knew that she wouldn't approve of it and it might even make her mad at him. He really didn't want that to happen. He looked surprised when it was Levy, of all people, who came to his rescue.

"He was helping me with some research," The bookworm said with a small smile. "I hope you don't mind, Lulu. Jet and Droy are sort of driving me crazy right now and Zeref volunteered to help so that I wouldn't have to ask them to come along."

Lucy smiled brightly, "Oh, it's not a problem, Levy. Will you be needing him again tomorrow?"

Zeref almost sighed out loud in relief when Levy replied with an affirmative. He was surprised that the blunette would cover for him when she really didn't know him all that well, but he was thankful nonetheless.

After a few more minutes Lucy yawned softly and shifted her attention back to him.

"I'm sorry, guys," She whispered. "I guess I'm still not up to full strength because I'm exhausted."

"Do you want me to take you home?" Zeref offered, noticing how she seemed to sag in her chair.

Lucy nodded, "Do you mind?"

He grinned at her, "Of course not."

* * *

Lucy smiled up at her boyfriend, amazed at how sweet he was being toward her. She still wasn't sure how on earth he'd managed to fall for her, but every day he did something to remind her of why she had fallen for him.

"I'm taking Lucy home, not you," Natsu said, glaring at Zeref.

Lucy sighed heavily, her shoulders falling. And then there were times that she was reminded once more how much alike her best friend and her boyfriend were.

"No way, idiot, Lucy wants me to take her home," Zeref said, folding his arms across his chest.

"Psh, yeah right. There's no way she would want someone like you to take her home. She prefers someone who's actually able to carry her."

"What are you talking about? Lucy's light as a feather."

"Yeah, she is, not that you would know anything about it."

Lucy turned away as the two continued on their argument, looking around for someone to walk home with her. Noticing that most everyone seemed to be involved in their own affairs, she headed quietly for the door, determined to go home even if she had to walk by herself.

"Where do you think you're going?" A masculine voice asked as she pushed open one of the doors.

"Home," She replied shortly, looking up to see Gray standing beside her with a frown on his face.

"I'll walk with you," He replied, not waiting for an answer as he took her hand in his own, leading her toward her apartment.

"If you get too tired let me know and I'll carry you," Gray said quietly, looking down at his friend in concern as he noticed how she seemed to be dragging already.

Lucy nodded her thanks, not really feeling up to saying anything else at the moment. The two walked in silence until Gray turned and noticed that she was walking even slower than before. Sighing, he walked back to her and without a word picked her up and started carrying her.

"I was doing just fine, Gray," Lucy protested.

"Right," He grunted. "That's why you looked like you were about to fall on your face."

Lucy sighed, resigning herself to the fact that Gray was going to carry her the rest of the way to her house no matter what. She settled in, allowing her head to lean against his chest as she made herself comfortable.

"By the way, where are those idiots that are supposed to be taking care of you, anyway?" Gray asked in irritation.

Lucy shrugged, "I don't know. Probably back at the guild, still fighting about which one of them gets to take me home."

Gray sighed heavily, "Are they still on that?"

Lucy nodded, sadly.

"Idiots," Gray muttered to himself, looking down at the girl who looked like she was going to fall asleep in his arms any moment now.

* * *

"Lucy chose me, so obviously she wants me to take her home. Right, Lucy?" Zeref turned and for the first time the two boys finally noticed that the girl they were fighting over had disappeared. "Lucy?"

Mira giggled, "She left soon after you two started fighting over who was going to take her home."

"Lucy shouldn't be out there by herself," Natsu yelled, worried for his best friend.

"Don't worry," Mira teased. "I think I saw Gray leave with her. I'm sure she'll be fine."

"Gray went with her?" The two yelled in unison before looking at each other. "We gotta go after her."

Zeref nodded his agreement and Mira watched in amusement as the two ran out the door.


	22. Chapter 22

Lucy was sleeping by the time they reached her house and Gray let himself in, carefully laying the girl in her bed so as not to wake her. He sighed as he looked down at her, healing Zeref had really taken a lot out of her and he wondered if it was really a good idea to allow her to continue using that magic. Sometimes it seemed to have no affect on her at all, other times it seemed to completely deplete her magical stores. He brushed a strand back from her face before turning to go, knowing that he'd better get back to the guild before Juvia started to think he was secretly seeing the blonde mage.

Gray shook his head at that thought. Sure he cared about Lucy, but it wasn't like that for them. She was like the little sister he never had, and he knew that she viewed him more as a big brother rather than a love interest. He turned to see Natsu and Zeref standing in the doorway, glowering at him.

"It's about time you two pulled your heads out of your asses," He grunted. "You realize that if I hadn't watched her try to leave she would be collapsed in the street right now?"

The two bowed their heads, guiltily, nodding.

Gray nodded back, "Get your shit together guys. Lucy can't handle you two being at each others throats all the time. She can barely handle her normal life as it is right now. She needs both of you and, I swear to god, if I ever have to have this conversation with you two again I'll sick Erza and Mira on both of you while Master seals Lucy back on that godforsaken island, got it?"

They nodded again, their hearts sinking as Gray walked out, glaring at both of them.

Zeref lowered himself onto Lucy's couch, looking woefully at the pinkette across from him.

"We really messed up this time, didn't we?"

Natsu sighed, rubbing his head, "Yeah, I guess we did."

"It's only because we care so much about Luce."

Natsu nodded his agreement, "You know we're going to have to settle this once and for all soon, right? We can't keep putting Lucy through this."

Zeref looked up, surprised that it was Natsu who had said what they both were thinking. He smiled softly.

"You really have grown, Natsu," Zeref mused.

Natsu looked at Zeref in confusion, but shrugged. He was always saying weird things like that and Natsu had given up long ago on trying to figure out what the man was talking about when he said those things.

"I guess," He replied, looking over at Lucy's sleeping form. "I wish she would wake up so we could apologize to her."

Zeref nodded his agreement, "She probably won't wake up until the morning now, though. Why don't you go home and get some rest?"

Natsu nodded, "Alright. Where do you live? I'll walk with you."

Zeref laughed, "I live here. Lucy wanted me to stay with her and I'm not leaving unless she's throws me out."

* * *

Lucy woke the next morning feeling better than she had in weeks. She shifted and noticed things gradually. First she noticed the soft comforter around her that signaled she was in her own bed and a smile crept across her face, there was nothing like sleeping in one's own bed to make you feel better. The second thing she noticed was that she was still in the same clothes as yesterday, which made her long for a hot shower and something new to wear. The last thing she noticed was the warm body pressed against her back and the smile turned into a grin as she rolled and noticed Zeref sleeping beside her, one arm wrapped tenderly around her waist.

She giggled and kissed his forehead before slipping out of bed and into the bathroom where she stripped and stepped into the shower, relishing the feeling of the warm water cascading down her skin, sloughing off the grim and dirt that had accumulated since she'd been in the infirmary.

She stayed in the shower until the water was cold and her fingers were pruney. Stepping out to find Zeref awake and making breakfast. She grinned as she quickly changed, kissing Zeref once more as she settled down at the table.

"Feel better now that you've showered?" He teased, though he was curious.

She nodded, "I might have to burn those clothes I was wearing, but I feel amazing now."

He grinned at her, "I'm glad. Plans for the day?"

"Go to the guild? Or maybe I'll work on my novel some since I haven't since we came back."

He nodded, "Whatever you want to do, but I should warn you that if we don't go down to the guild Natsu plans on stopping by today. He wants to talk to you and apologize for last night."

* * *

Zeref set a plate of pancakes down in front of her, "As do I. I'm sorry for the way we acted. If Gray hadn't have been there to walk you home..."

He trailed off, shuddering at the thought of what could have happened to Lucy. Lucy took his hand in her own, causing him to look up at her smiling face.

"Don't worry about it," She said. "I'm fine."

The words did little to soothe his guilt, but he appreciated her attempt anyway.

Zeref looked at the alarm lacrima that Lucy kept by her bed and his eyes widened.

"I'd better get going. Levy is waiting for me by now," He told her, hurrying to finish his breakfast.

Lucy giggled as she watched him leave, then sighed when she realized that once more she would be spending the day without him.

* * *

 **AN: Sorry this one is a little shorter than the rest! :) I woke up with roughly four or five reviews asking for another chapter ASAP, so, because I love you all so much, here's a little filler one until I can actually sit and write out my next one.**


	23. Chapter 23

Zeref reached the library just as the doors were being opened. He was relieved to see Levy there as well and immediately followed her inside to his table where he had been working.

"Why did you cover for me yesterday?" He asked the bluenette.

She grinned at him, "I'm guessing you're looking for something to help Lucy with this new magic of hers, correct?"

He nodded, looking at her in suspicion, "Yes."

She nodded back, "And you don't want her to know because you're worried about how she will react."

"Yea," He said, dragging the word out.

She grinned, "I want to help. Lucy is my best friend and I don't want to lose her any more than you do."

Zeref looked at her, curiously, "I didn't think you would approve."

Levy shrugged, "You'll find that there are a lot of things you can approve of that you normally wouldn't when it comes to someone you care about."

Zeref nodded, thinking back to the research that had led to his immortality in the first place, "Yes, I know that all too well."

Levy looked at him curiously, but didn't press the issue as the two of them dove into their research.

* * *

Lucy was surprised when Natsu showed up only moments after Zeref had left, though she supposed she shouldn't be that surprised, given that Natsu had a habit of hanging around her apartment at all hours of the day and night.

"Lucy," Natsu said softly as he slipped in through her window.

"Natsu," She smiled brightly at the boy. "I heard you were probably going to be coming by today."

He hung his head in shame, "I'm very sorry for what happened yesterday. We should have been taking care of you and not fighting about it."

She nodded her agreement, "Yes, you probably should have, but it's all in the past now, Natsu. Don't worry about it, okay?"

Natsu nodded, his face brightening a little at the girl's logic.

"I still feel awful about it," He replied.

Lucy laughed brightly as she gave him a plate of leftover pancakes, "Well, don't alright?"

* * *

The two sat in a comfortable silence born by years of spending days together in the same way. Lucy cleaned up the kitchen table while Natsu ate and then sat at her desk to work on her novel while he laid on her bed, staring up at the cork board by her bed, grinning broadly at the many pictures that featured the two of them.

"Hey, Luce," He said softly after a few moments of studying the pictures.

"Yeah, Natsu?" She asked in a distracted manner.

He rolled over so that he could study the blonde and make sure that she was paying attention when he asked his next question.

"Do you ever think that things got mixed up?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" She asked, finally looking up from the novel she was working on, pushing her bangs out of her eyes.

"I mean, do you ever think that maybe this magic, finding Zeref, everything that's happened since that day, wasn't supposed to happen?"

Lucy frowned, her brows furrowing as she struggled to understand what it was that Natsu was trying to get at.

"Not really. It's just one of those things that happen, I guess," She said with a shrugged.

Natsu frowned in annoyance, "But they don't just happen, Luce. How many times does a person discover some unknown magic lying within them and then get sent away where they just happen to meet the only person in the world that could possibly complete them?"

Lucy frowned back, "Not many I suppose."

He nodded eagerly, "Right. So do you ever think that you ended up with the wrong person?"

"Who else would I end up with, Natsu?" Lucy asked in exasperation.

"Me."

* * *

Lucy's jaw almost dropped at Natsu's words.

 _Him? Natsu thinks that I should have ended up with him? He never even said anything until now. Why didn't he say something sooner? What on earth is happening?_

* * *

Natsu shifted uncomfortably at the long silence that followed. Part of him was relieved that Lucy wasn't yelling at him and telling him to get out, but another part of him was concerned for that exact reason. She just seemed to be sitting there, staring at him in a daze.

"Lucy?" Natsu finally asked after a few moments, worried that he had broken his best friend.

Her eyes shifted slightly, but she remained silent.

He crawled off the bed and moved so that he was kneeling down in front of her, staring into her eyes. Was she angry? Was she upset? Happy? Even her eyes seemed to be blank of emotion.

"Luce?" He called softly, finally noticing the tremors running through her arms.

"Get out," She whispered softly. "Just get out."

Natsu didn't need to be told twice. He quickly ducked out of the window, slamming it shut behind him before taking off down the roof like his life depended on it.

* * *

Lucy finally blinked once more before allowing her head to thump on her desk. Now Natsu decides to confess to her? What sort of messed up logic was that? She sighed before lifting her head back up and staring out the window where he had just left. What on earth was she going to do now? She sighed once more before turning back to her novel, tucking it in the drawer. There was no way that she was going to be able to write now.

The only question on her mind now was - what on earth was she going to tell Zeref?

* * *

 **AN: OMG, Sorry I've been away for so long T.T work has been crazy and I finally got a day off. I'll try to keep up with updating more often but right now we are really short staffed and everyone is taking their vacations, so I might not always be able to.**


	24. Chapter 24

Lucy was still sitting at her desk, head on her arms, when Zeref finally came home, grinning broadly. Her heart almost broke in two as she stared at his innocent face. He had no idea, obviously, of what had occurred while he was gone and Lucy was loathed to be the one to tell him. She sighed inwardly as she realized that she was unintentionally going to tear the two brothers apart. She struggled with herself for a moment before deciding not to say anything to Zeref about what had happened. Lucy had always been the kind of girl who handled her problems on her own and she would continue to do so. Right now, this was strictly her problem and she knew it would probably be better to leave Zeref out of it if she could.

"Hey, you," Zeref said, bending down to kiss her cheek.

"Hey," She forced a grin as she looked up at him. "How was research with Levy?"

"Good," He said, smiling down at her.

"I'm glad."

"How did things go with Natsu?"

Lucy's heart dropped for a moment, "Oh, they went the way they normally do."

"That's good, right?"

Lucy nodded, knowing that if she spoke her voice would crack. Zeref looked at her in concern, but didn't press the issue as he turned around where he stood, studying the apartment once again.

"Tired?"

Lucy shook her head, "Not really, no."

Zeref turned, grinning brightly, "I'm glad. That means you're getting better."

Lucy laughed as she stood, stretching in relief.

"So do you think we'll be able to go on missions again soon?" Lucy asked.

Zeref raised an eyebrow as he led her into the kitchen, "You're that eager to get back to work?"

Lucy shrugged, "Bills do have to be paid after all."

He frowned, "What do you want for dinner?"

She shrugged once more, "Whatever you would like."

He turned, and kissed her quickly on the lips, "You're so adorable when you're agreeable."

Lucy felt a twitch under her eye at his words, "Am I usually not agreeable?"

"Not that," Zeref reassured as he pulled ingredients out of her cupboard. "You're usually very agreeable. Unless, of course, Natsu is in the same room with you. You two seem to argue about everything."

Lucy sighed as she helped him pull out pans and then plopped herself down at the counter, content to watch him cook.

* * *

Zeref watched in girlfriend out of the corner of his eye. Something was definitely bothering her, but he knew she wouldn't tell him until she was good and ready to. He wished she would have more faith in him, but he couldn't force her to trust him any more than she already did and to try would only make her lose what little trust she had in him. He wondered for a moment how she would react if she knew what he was really doing down at the library every day. He thought about telling her for a moment, but seeing the sad look in her eyes, decided against it.

He turned back to the food he was cooking, wondering what it was that was causing that look in his beloved eyes. Something had obviously happened while he was gone, but he knew that Lucy wouldn't tell him unless she felt it was important, so whatever it was it couldn't have been too bad anyway.

"Lucy," He said after a moment, trying to decide how to best phrase what he wanted to ask her.

"Yeah?" She asked after a moment's silence.

"Would you be okay with me going out on my own for a few days. I need to do something."

Lucy furrowed her brow in confusion but shrugged, "I'm not your keeper, Zeref. You can go where you'd like. You don't have to ask me."

He smiled at her as he set a plate in front of her.

"I know, but that doesn't mean that I don't like to be sure. Also, I'm not sure how well I'll do being away from you for a long period of time," He whispered the last part, staring down at the plate.

"Are you worried about your magic?" Lucy asked softly.

He nodded, "I don't want to hurt anyone."

Lucy sighed nodding her head, "I know you don't. Go, though. And if you start feeling off you get out as fast as you can and as close to me. You're not going far are you?"

Zeref shook his head, "No, not really."

Lucy smiled, "I'm glad. I would miss you."

Zeref smiled back, though he silently wished he was leaving for longer. Lucy was exhausted and he was beginning to suspect that the magic that was constantly countering his death magic was starting to drain and tire her out. He wished there was a way for both of them to learn how to control their magics. Then this wouldn't happen. He nodded to himself, silently reminding himself as to why he was leaving in the first place. There really was something he needed to do, other than to let Lucy try to recover her strength.

And though he wouldn't admit it to anyone, except perhaps Natsu, whom he knew would understand, he'd rather the whole world be destroyed by his magic than allow Lucy to wither and die because of it. Lucy was, after all, _his_ whole world.

Zeref shivered at the thought, wondering just how far he would push himself this time to save the one he loved. He smiled down at the blonde mage beside him and felt his heart twist. In that moment he knew, he would go even farther than he had gone for Natsu if it meant saving the precious life in front of him.

And that scared him more than anything else could have.


	25. Chapter 25

Lucy watched Zeref leave with a heavy heart. He said he wasn't going to be gone for long, but she was worried. So many what ifs ran through her head, making her nervous about the trip. What if he got lost? What if he was injured? What if his magic started acting up? She worried about it constantly, but she knew that she couldn't keep him from going, he needed this just as much as she needed it. The two needed to learn how to exist without the other one constantly around. It was the only way their relationship would last.

Zeref turned, waving with a smile reminiscent of his brother's before once more heading out. This time without looking back. Lucy sighed as she watched him go, relief and loneliness warring for the dominant place in her heart. She would never tell him, but her boyfriend had been making her feel a little crazy the last few days as he had prepared for the journey. She shivered before turning back to her apartment.

"You're just going to let him go?"

She looked up in surprise as she entered her apartment to find Natsu there.

"He said he needed to go for a couple of days."

Natsu stood, eyeing her, "You realize that the darkest wizard to ever exist just left to be alone. Doesn't that worry you in the least? What if he's gone bad again?"

"He wouldn't do that. He just needed to go for a while."

"Go where? Do what?"

Lucy paused for a moment, Zeref had never actually told her what he was doing or where he was going. Just that he had something he had to do. She'd never questioned it, assuming that it was something important and he would tell her about it in his own time. Now she wondered if that was a good idea.

"I don't know."

Natsu looked at incredulously, "You let him go and you don't even know what he's doing or where he's going?"

"I'm not his jailer, Natsu. Zeref is free to go where he wants and do what he wants."

Natsu shook his head, "But he's not supposed to be."

Lucy shrugged, angry, "I trust him. After all this time, do you really not?"

"I trust him," Natsu said slowly, "I'm just worried that he'll do something that he'll later regret."

Lucy sighed, sitting at her desk. How could she possibly explain to her best friend what was really going on? How could she tell him that Zeref had only gone dark to save the only person he'd ever really cared about and now that person was the one person who was judging him the most?

"Look, Zeref isn't going to do anything dark, okay? Last time he did what he did to save someone he cared deeply about," Lucy explained.

* * *

Natsu stared at Lucy, wondering just how dense the blonde could really be. Sure, he wasn't the brightest bulb in the box, but right now he was pretty sure that he was brighter than Lucy. How could she not see what Zeref was doing? Lucy wasn't getting better, everyone could see that. No matter how much Wendy healed her, no matter how much rest the celestial mage got, she was still weak and tired easily. Nothing seemed to be really healing her and Natsu hated it. It was like watched Wendy put a band aid on a cut deep enough to need stitches.

Natsu knew the moment he'd heard that Zeref was helping Levy in the library what the black-haired mage was really up to. He worried about it though. Zeref would do anything to save Lucy, Natsu knew it because he felt the same.

"Lucy," Natsu finally spoke. "Maybe you should tell me _exactly_ what happened last time Zeref tried to save someone."

Lucy swallowed, staring at her best friend before she finally sighed, nodding.

"You see," She began, "Zeref had a little brother who meant the world to him once..."

She launched into the story, telling Natsu it exactly how Zeref had told her. Leaving out only the name of the brother that Zeref had tried so desperately to save.

"So did he save him?" Natsu asked when the story was finally over.

Lucy nodded, "Yeah, he did."

Natsu sighed, gripping Lucy's hand tightly between his own, "And you really think he's not going to go dark while he's out there?"

Lucy nodded, "Why would he?"

"Luce, he's been spending so much time at the library doing research. Research on how to save _you_."

Lucy stared at Natsu with wide eyes as the weight of what he was trying to tell her finally sank in.

* * *

Zeref walked slowly, wondering how much time he had before Lucy finally figured out what he was doing and tried putting a stop to it. He didn't know what he would do when she finally found out but he didn't want to stop trying to save her. He rejected the idea of doing what he had done to Natsu. He did, after all, learn from his mistakes and he wouldn't put the woman he loved through that kind of pain. He could barely do it with Natsu, so there was no way he would be able to do it with Lucy.

He shivered as he ducked inside the room that he'd rented to turn into his lab, surprised to see that Levy was already there.

"You don't have to do this, Levy," Zeref whispered to her as the two began to go over their notes.

"Lucy is my best friend, I can't just let her die."

"She might get better if I stay away long enough."

"And how long do you think you can stay away before you accidently kill someone? It's not fair to lock you away just because your magic kills people when it's outside of your control. And it's not fair to kill Lucy to keep you alive. You're both innocent. Okay, well, she's innocent and you're learning. We need to do this."

Zeref sighed, nodding, "But you're an innocent, too. How can I ask you to put everything you love and hold dear on the line?"

"You're not asking. I'm volunteering."

Levy turned away from her friend, trying to hide the tears. This might be the beginning of something great, or it could be the beginning of the end. Either way, she was determined to save her friend.


	26. Chapter 26

Lucy finally shook herself, realizing that she had been staring at Natsu for quite some time now.

"That's not right," She whispered in disbelief. "Zeref promised. He wouldn't do anything like that again. You're just lying to make me upset, right?"

Her hands were shaking as she touched Natsu's shoulder, her eyes pleading with him to tell her that it was a lie. Begging him to tell her that Zeref had given that part of himself up and Natsu was just trying to upset her with his words.

* * *

Natsu felt his heart break as he looked into his best friend's eyes. Disillusionment and pain filled every inch of them, tears pooling at the edges as she tried to force herself back into the innocent state she'd been in before Natsu had brought reality crashing down around her.

"Lucy," He whispered, gathering her in his arms. "Lucy, I'm sorry."

His gut twisted as he held her. Part of him wanted to kill himself for being the one to bring her happy innocence to an end, the other part was furious with Zeref for making it so that he would have to be the one to hurt Lucy, something he'd sworn he would never do.

"Natsu," She whispered once more. "Does he love me though?"

Natsu pulled away, looking into her eyes. He had no idea how the dark mage really felt about his friend, but as he stared at her he decided he could afford one little white lie after the pain he'd already put her through.

"Yes, Lucy, yes he does," He whispered.

She smiled through her tears, "I'm glad not everything is a lie then."

* * *

Zeref sighed as he went over the notes one more time with Levy.

"Do you think it will work?" He asked.

Levy sighed as she tugged at her hair in frustration, "I think so. But I have no idea. It could cause the complete opposite reaction. I _hate_ this."

He nodded in agreement, "Well, it's this or the R System and I've already decided against that."

"You realize that this has the potential to do the same thing as the R System, right? You could easily make her a demon instead of keeping her alive."

Zeref sighed, "What else can we do?"

Levy shrugged, "I don't _know_."

"Then I guess it's time."

The bluenette nodded her agreement as the two set to work.

* * *

Lucy walked with Natsu back to the guild.

"I don't want to hurt him," Lucy whispered. "I just want him to see the truth of what he is doing."

Natsu nodded his agreement, "I know. But we have to tell the Old Man about what is going on."

The blonde sighed again, knowing her best friend was right but not really wanting to. She followed behind Natsu as he led the way into the office, her head hanging Natsu took her hand in his own. She was surprised by the warmth in them, it had been so long since the two of them had held hands that she'd forgotten how right it had felt. He squeezed her hand reassuringly before swinging the door open.

"Gramps?" Natsu asked, hesitating in the doorway.

He really didn't want to tell Makarov what was going on either, but he knew it would be worse for all of them if he kept quiet about it. Makarov looked up from his paperwork, surprised to see his most destructive child standing in the doorway looking around in uncertainty.

"Come in Natsu, Lucy," He said after a moment, wondering what those two would want.

"Gramps, we have something important to tell you," Natsu said after a moment, letting Lucy shut the door behind them.

"I gathered that," Makarov said drily. "Could you get to the point?"

Natsu shifted uneasily, looking over at Lucy who was still staring at the floor.

"Zeref is building something to try to save me," Lucy blurted after a few more seconds, realizing that Natsu couldn't bring himself to actually speak the words.

"Save you from what?" Makarov asked in surprise.

Lucy sighed, "I'm not really getting any better since the last time I healed Zeref. My magic isn't replenishing like it should and I'm tired a lot. Zeref, I guess, thinks I'm dying and has decided to save me."

"Why would you say he's doing something like that?"

Once more Lucy sighed before telling the tale of Zeref's little brother for the second time that day.

"Natsu, can I speak to Lucy alone?" Makarov asked when Lucy finished her tale.

Natsu looked between them but nodded, leaving silently.

"I take it Zeref managed to save his little brother," Makarov stated.

Lucy nodded.

"I also noticed that you avoided using the brother's name. Which to mean seems to mean that you don't want Natsu to know who this brother is, which must mean that Natsu knows the brother."

Tears filled Lucy's eyes as she nodded again, staring down at the floor once more.

"Is it Natsu?"

Lucy looked up surprise, no one had figured that out so far.

Makarov laughed at Lucy's expression, "My dear I didn't make guild master on my looks alone. I am rather intelligent and perceptive when I want to be, even if my methods are a little unorthodox."

Lucy smiled for the first time since Natsu had brought reality crashing down around her. The smile was a wobbly one and likely to slip away at any moment but it was a smile nonetheless.

"Yes, it's Natsu."

Makarov nodded, pondering what this information could mean and wondering how a boy who looked no more than seventeen could possibly be older than he was. He shook his head, deciding that now was not the time to worry about that.

"So you think Zeref is going to try to same thing on you?"

"I don't know," Lucy replied. "But if he went that far for a little brother, wouldn't he do the same for me? If it was _you,_ and _you'd_ gone that far for a little brother, how much further would you go for the woman you loved?"

Makarov paled as he thought about it, "I would destroy the world for her."

Lucy nodded, "Now you see why I'm concerned."

Makarov strode around the desk, taking her hands in her own.

"Lucy, I'm afraid this is a battle you and Natsu have to fight on your own. There's no one else that Zeref will listen to. He's doing this to save you, and I'm afraid that only _you_ can stop him now."

* * *

 **AN: OMG YOU GUYS! This story is almost done. T.T I'm going to miss all of you. I've got about 3-5 more chapters though :)**


	27. Chapter 27

Lucy paled as she looked down at her Master.

"Alone?"

He nodded, "Just please come home safely and make sure that Nastu does as well."

Lucy gave Makarov a brilliant smile as she headed out.

"We will!"

She hurried down the stairs, looking for Natsu and finally spotting him at the bar, talking to Mira and Lisanna. She paused for a moment, watching them interact before finally interrupting them.

"Natsu!" She called, hurrying down the last few steps as his head shot up, turning to look at her.

"What's up, Lucy?" He asked, trying to sound casual and failing. Then tension in his voice was easily detected as he waited to hear what the Master had to say.

"We're going to find Zeref and bring him home," Lucy grinned.

"Right. I'll get Erza and Gray, you get-"

"Just us," Lucy cut him off. "Master wants it to be just us two."

Natsu nodded, paling slightly at the idea of just the two of them taking on the darkest wizard in history.

"Right, well then, let's go."

* * *

Zeref looked over at Levy before looking back at the machine, both of them wiping the sweat off their brows as they contemplated what they had created. He tried not to focus on the bluenette beside him and how easy it would be to test the machine on her. Thoughts like those, he knew, were what had caused him to become the dark wizard in the first place.

"Are you ready to try it?" Levy asked.

"Are you sure you should be here? What if things go wrong?"

Levy shook her head, "I'm not going anywhere."

Zeref sighed, knowing that she wouldn't budge but that he had to try to make her.

"Alright then."

* * *

Lucy looked around nervously as she followed Natsu down yet another deserted street.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Lucy asked.

Natsu had picked up Zeref's scent and the two had been following it for what felt, to Lucy, like forever, though in reality it had only been around a half hour. The scent had led them to the seedier side of Magnolia and Lucy gripped her keys anxiously as she waited for Natsu to decide which way they would be going next. Most people in Magnolia knew who were Fairy Tail mages and wouldn't mess with them, but there were always a few who thought they could prove how tough them were by taking on a few Fairies. More than once Natsu and Lucy had proven that they weren't to be messed with.

Natsu nodded, pausing before an abandoned building and looking at it quizzically.

"What is it, Nastu?" Lucy asked, taking a step closer to her friend.

"It's weird. Zeref is here, but so is Levy," Natsu said quietly.

"Why is Levy here?" Lucy wondered out loud.

Natsu shrugged, "Let's go find out."

"Right."

* * *

"Levy, _run_ ," Zeref said with wide eyes as the pressure built around him.

The two had easily turned on the machine, but instead of it working how it was supposed to, it seemed to be amplifying his death magic and he could fill it building inside of him. Levy's eyes widened in shock but she didn't argue as she took off, flinging open the door and racing away just as the magic exploded from Zeref. Once the aura had dissipated he turned slowly, almost afraid to look as he made his way to the door. His eyes widened in shock when he saw, not the dead figure he was expecting, but the bluenette still running.

As if she sensed him looking, Levy turned to see him standing there and her eyes widened just as much as his had at the fact that she was still alive. She slowed and then stopped, confusion mirroring his own as she took a step toward him. A sound made them both turn toward the blindly light at the end of the hall that slowly dimmed to reveal Lucy and Natsu, Lucy looking tired already.

"Lucy," Zeref whispered, shame filling him as he looked upon his girlfriend.

"Levy, go," Lucy said, not taking her eyes off of the man she loved. "I'll talk to you later."

Without a word the bluenette ran, leaving the three standing there in a silent deadlock.

* * *

"Zeref," Lucy finally broke the silence. "Stop what you're doing. Please."

He shook his head, "I can't."

"Why not?"

"I have to save you."

"That's strike one. Try again," Lucy said, annoyed by his instance that she needed saving.

"You're going to _die_."

"Strike two, and please stop. Come home with us. I must warn you that if you reach three strikes Natsu will have to intervene and I don't want that. We've been asked to stop you by any means necessary."

Zeref shrugged, "Then Natsu will have to kill me. I won't rest until I manage to save you."

"That's strike three," Lucy said as Natsu moved to attack.

He stopped as Lucy raised an arm, keeping him from attacking the dark mage.

"Please, Zeref. I can't let you die just as you could never stand to let me die," Lucy pleaded. "Please, just come home. We can talk about this still. Don't make Natsu hurt you."

Zeref smiled grimly, "I always knew it would come down to a battle between the two of us. The machine, though, should still save you."

"The machine isn't what you thought. You guys built it wrong or someone tricked you, because it's amplifying your magic," Lucy argued. "You'll kill half of Magnolia trying to get it to work right."

"I would kill _all_ of Fiore to save you," Zeref yelled, his aura darkening as he realized what was about to happen. "If I could start wars and create demons to save my brother, do you think something as small as the death of everyone in the country is going to stop me from saving you. I love you, Lucy."

"And I love you," Lucy replied, tears standing in her eyes as her aura brightened to an almost blinding level. "But not like this."

Zeref's eyes widened as Natsu's aura darkened contrasting perfectly with the angelic aura that surrounded his partner. Flames flickered along the edges, and his eyes turned into red slits, glaring down at the dark haired mage.

Lucy's arm dropped.


	28. Chapter 28

The moment Lucy's arm dropped Natsu was moving. His fists lit up with fire as Zeref moved to get out of the way. Lucy watched it all from the sidelines, torn between getting involved and fear of hurting the man she had come to adore. Lucy knew that she should be helping Natsu, but she seemed frozen to the spot, watching as the two fought each other with increasing intensity. Her eyes closed for a moment as she debated inwardly what to do. She didn't want to hurt Zeref, but she didn't want Natsu to be hurt either. Mostly she didn't want to watch Zeref fall into the darkness that had claimed him four hundred years ago. She shivered at the thought and opened her eyes to find Natsu on the ground, watching as Zeref began the complex motions to summon a Death Pillar. Without hesitation Lucy grabbed her keys, summoning Loke to her.

As if reading her thoughts Loke launched himself at Zeref, leaving Lucy free to begin the countering the Death Pillar with the Pillar of Life. The two magics clashed against each other, creating an explosion that rocked the building. Lucy grabbed her whip this time, determined not to leave Natsu and Loke to fight Zeref alone, but Loke turned, shaking his head at her.

"Don't get involved," He said quietly before turning his attention back to the dark mage.

Lucy fumed inwardly, feeling helpless as she watched the three duke it out. Natsu's fist collided with Zeref's jaw once more and Lucy sighed. Two on one was no longer a fair fight, though Zeref did seem to be holding his own against them. With a wave of his key, Lucy dismissed Loke, knowing that now Natsu was fired up the Lion spirit would only be getting in his way.

* * *

Zeref watched as Lucy struggled with an inward debate. Part of him felt bad for making her go through this, but the other part was too angry with her to care. Why couldn't she see that he was doing all of this to keep his magic from killing her? He fought Natsu with only half of his attention on the dragon slayer, causing the pinkette to growl in frustration.

"Pay attention," Natsu snapped, landing a direct hit with his Fire Dragon Claw attack.

Zeref sighed and focused once more on his little brother, wondering how long it would take before Natsu decided to really get serious. Lucy, he could tell, was already serious. And seriously angry. The look on her face sent shivers of fear down his spine and he was sure that if she had the power that Natsu did he would already be on the ground waiting for his life to end.

"Dammit, I told you to pay _attention_ ," Nastu yelled, hitting Zeref so hard that the dark-haired mage went flying backwards, hitting the wall with a loud thud.

Zeref grinned as he stood, brushing himself off, "Glad to see that you're starting to take this seriously, Natsu."

* * *

Lucy shivered as Zeref's aura darkened further. She realized what Zeref was doing just as Natsu charged at him, causing her to gasp out loud. Her heart twisted in her chest and tears filled her eyes. She couldn't believe that Zeref would go so far just to be killed. She couldn't decide if this was a deliberate decision on his part or just an instant reaction from years of longing for death to claim him.

"Zeref, no," Lucy whispered as she watched Natsu's eyes narrow dangerously, scales beginning to form on the side of his face. "You can't really want this."

Zeref turned, smiling gently at her.

"Don't worry, Lucy," He whispered before turning back to Natsu. "Are you ready to complete the job you were created for, Natsu?"

* * *

Natsu raised an eyebrow, annoyed at the black-haired mage.

"I'm ready to kill you, if that's what you mean?" He growled, trying to ignore the tears he could smell coming from behind him.

Lucy shouldn't have been there, part of him knew that with certainty. Sending Lucy to kill her lover was probably the cruelest thing that their master could have done. Natsu understood that he'd sent her in hopes that she would be about to persuade Zeref to stop his mad obsession, but that clearly wasn't going to be the case. Now it was a battle and Natsu could sense Lucy's hesitation. No one wants to harm the one they love and Lucy was no exception to that.

"Lucy, you should get out of here," He barked at the blonde, who was still frozen to the spot.

"I'm not leaving you," Lucy answered. "This is my mess and I'm going to help you clean it up."

"There's nothing you can do."

Lucy sniffed but he could sense her holding her ground as Zeref began another spell.

* * *

Lucy's eyes widened the moment she realized what Zeref was casting. Two thoughts hit her simultaneously - the first being that Natsu would never survive that blast, the second being that even if she'd known the counter spell to it she didn't have enough magical energy to cast it. Lucy did the only thing she could think to do at the moment, she threw herself in front of Natsu, shielding him from the Death Orb Zeref was casting.

Zeref saw Lucy's form a moment too late, pulling back to stop the spell that had already left his hands and was now hurtling toward his beloved.

Natsu's eyes widened in shocked the moment he realized who was standing in front of him. She glowed brighter than she'd ever shone before, even when she used Urano Metria. In fact, compared to this, Urano Metria might as well have been a pinpoint of light.

"Lucy, get out of the way," He yelled, running toward her.

She turned, smiling sadly, "It's okay, Natsu. I'm going to save _both_ of you."

Tears filled his eyes as he reached for her just as the spell hit.

* * *

 **AN: OH NO! What's going to happen to Lucy!? I hate my brain T.T**

 ***Hides from the reviewers* Sorry for the cliffy. Please don't hate me for the end of this chapter.**


	29. Chapter 29

Natsu stood in shock for a moment. Lucy, _his_ Lucy, was gone. No could survive that blast, not even the most precious girl in the world. The scales that had been forming along the side of his face took over completely, his anger fueling his magic. His eyes, slits before, now widened as they turned golden red. Without waiting for the dust and debris to settle, without even looking in Lucy's direction, Natsu launched himself at Zeref, ready to kill the mage that had killed the woman they both loved.

* * *

Lucy stood stock still for a moment before slowly opening her eyes. Golden light surrounded her, causing the debris in the light to hang in suspension, slowly floating around her. She lowered her arms, allowing the last of the debris to fall as the light faded. She looked around for Natsu and Zeref as she turned in a circle, finally spotting them as they fought a few feet away. Zeref appeared to be losing under Natsu's final form.

* * *

Natsu glared down at Zeref as he readied his final blow. He had trusted the ancient mage, had allowed him to steal Lucy's heart. Now Lucy was gone, forever, and Zeref had to pay for that mistake.

Zeref knelt before Natsu, lowering his head in acceptance.

"I'm ready, Natsu," Zeref whispered. "I'm sorry about Lucy."

"Me, too," Natsu replied raising his arm.

"NATSU!"

The two boys' hearts stopped at the voice that rang out with fear. Natsu stopped mid-swing his eyes widening in shock while Zeref stared at the ground, shaking in fear and surprise before lifting his head up. They slowly turned their heads in unison, Natsu lowering his arm as he watched Lucy glide over to them, the golden light still faintly surrounding her.

"Natsu," She said again, softer this time. "You can't kill him."

"Why not?"

"Because I love him."

"And he tried to kill you."

Lucy smiled as she shakily lifted a hand to Natsu's face, "It's okay. Don't kill him, Natsu. He didn't mean it. He loves us too much to actually want us dead."

"He loves you anyway," Natsu said, his scales starting to fade.

She shook her head, "You can't kill him, Natsu. He's your brother."

* * *

The silence that followed that statement was absolute. Natsu's eyes returned to their normal color while the scales completely faded from him as he stared at the blonde smiling gently at him. Lucy turned from him to offer a hand to Zeref, who took it in his own trembling one. She pulled him up gently, kissing him on the cheek once he was standing.

"Please, come home with us. Enough of this madness," She whispered.

Zeref nodded his consent, still staring at the woman he'd fallen in love with.

"Wait a moment," Natsu finally said. "What do you mean he's my brother?"

Lucy smiled as she started to walk away, "I'll let Zeref explain all of that. Come find me when you're ready to go home."

* * *

 _Home._ Zeref smiled at the word. How long had it been since he'd had a place he could actually call home? He turned back to Natsu, who was staring at him with a raised eyebrow, and sighed.

"Well, you might as well sit," Zeref said. "This is a long story."

* * *

Hours later the two walked out of the building, Zeref feeling strangely relieved while Natsu was still confused by the whole situation. The girl he'd fallen in love with was dating the brother he'd never known he'd had and, supposedly, he was over four hundred years old.

Natsu's head reeled with this new information as he tried to process it all. Lucy smiled brightly at the two as they exited the building and Natsu grinned back, knowing that for her he could do anything, even believe that he was brother to this strange man.

"Are you ready to go home, my family?" She asked brightly, linking arms with the two of them.

The brothers smiled down at the girl in between them. For her, they would go wherever she would lead. Besides, _home, family_ , Those words didn't really seem so bad in the long run.

* * *

 **-Years Later-**

Zeref was never charged with anything. Only the two he called family, and Levy, knew what happened in the abandoned warehouse and none of them would talk about it. He dropped his studies into sustaining life and enjoyed the time he spent with his family. He married Lucy two years later. A year after that they had their first child, a little girl they called Embry Mavis Dragneel.

Natsu, after finally accepting that he had a brother, became an almost permanent fixture around the household. He bonded with Zeref quickly after their fight, and the two seemed almost inseparable for a time. He adores his niece and often you can hear her yelling "Uncle Natsu" as he chases the dark-haired child around the house, causing everyone to laugh in amusement.

Lucy was content. She had her two favorite boys and a beautiful daughter. Life couldn't be anymore perfect. She smiled as she watched her brother-in-law chase her little girl, resting back into Zeref's arms. He grinned down at his wife, gently laying a hand on her pregnant stomach.

"What do you think?" He whispered in her ear. "Boy or girl?"

She grinned up at him, "Boy, but we still have two months until we find out if I'm right."

He grinned, "I waited four hundred years to find you, I can wait a few more months to find out what my second child will be."

She laughed and kissed him gently, "Yes, Mr. Dragneel, you can."

"Whatever you say, Mrs. Dragneel."

"Uncle Natsu, mommy and daddy are kissing again."

The couple laughed as Natsu and Embry made matching faces of disgust.

 ** _Fin_**

* * *

 **AN: OMG. I finished! *cries* I hope you all enjoyed it. I couldn't bring myself to allow Lucy to die, you worry-warts. She's the life of this story after all ;)**

 **I would like to thank the following people for making this story possible:**

 **- MikuRikaChan for giving me the idea and the pairing. :) Without him this story would have never been written. **

**- Kurohana806** **for sticking with me from the beginning and helping me with grammar and spelling.**

 **- Gothazon, ilft. natsu , tsuki-suna for their reviews that cracked me up and gave me the courage to keep writing even when I was feeling burnt out on the story and a little lost as to where I was going next. **

**\- EVERYONE ELSE! Anyone I've missed, all my reviewers that I didn't mention, and anyone else who's been reading this without reviewing. I appreciate your support!**


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